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New York Citys Fast-Food Calorie Labeling Rule Should Be Upheld, Groups Urge Federal Court

July 15, 2007

b>Congressman, Former FDA Commissioner, AMA, Public Health Organizations and Experts Join Public Citizen and CSPI in Support of Rule to Combat Obesity Epidemic/b>br/>WASHINGTON, D.C. A federal court in New York should reject the state restaurant associations attempt to strike down New York Citys new requirement that certain fast-food and other chain restaurants disclose calorie information on their menus, according to a brief submitted today by the nonprofit organizations Public Citizen and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). The groups were joined in their brief by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), a former FDA commissioner and a host of prestigious public health organizations and esteemed nutrition experts.

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Egg Producers Deceive Consumers, Violate Law with Bogus Omega-3 Claims

June 20, 2007

b>FDA should enforce its own rules, according to CSPI/b>br/>WASHINGTONConsumers who shell out more money for eggs boasting of omega-3 content and promoting heart health should know that those claims are not all theyre cracked up to be, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

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Federal Trade Commission Urged to Crack Down on Enviga

May 20, 2007

b>CSPI Says Calorie Burning and Weight Loss Claims Illegal/b>br/>WASHINGTONThe Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should take enforcement action against Coca-Cola and Nestlé for their unlawful deceptive advertising for Enviga, their green-tea-flavored diet soda, according to a a href=http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/enviga_ftc.pdf target=complaint>complaint/a> filed with the agency today by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). At issue is the companies claim that Enviga burns more calories than the five calories per can it delivers, which, CSPI says, strongly implies weight loss. CSPI is separately a href=http://www.cspinet.org/new/200702011.html target=suing>suing/a> Coke and Nestlé in federal court on the same issue but says that shouldnt stop the FTC from cracking down immediately on the false advertising.

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Burger King Hit With Trans Fat Lawsuit

May 15, 2007

b>CSPI Says Burger King is Biggest Chain Without Firm Plans to Convert to Safer Alternatives to Partially Hydrogenated Oils/b>br/>WASHINGTONBy using partially hydrogenated oil, Burger King is knowingly increasing its customers risk of heart disease and early death, according to a lawsuit filed today by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest. CSPI is asking a District of Columbia Superior Court judge to order the restaurant chain to stop using the deadly trans-fat-laden ingredient, or at least to require prominent warning notices on Burger Kings menu boards. According to CSPI, Burger King is the biggest restaurant chain that is not fully committed to getting rid of the artificial trans fat found in partially hydrogenated oil.

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Institute of Medicine School Food Recommendations Should Be Law of the Land, Says CSPI

April 24, 2007

b>Harkin-Murkowski Bill Would Require USDA to Update Old Nutrition Standards/b>br/>WASHINGTONThe nutrition standards proposed today by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) for foods and drinks sold in vending machines, cafeteria a la carte lines, and elsewhere on school grounds are far superior to the current standards promulgated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), according to the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). While USDAs 30-year-old standards for foods sold alongside the official school meals were designed to make sure American school children got enough of certain vitamins and nutrients, the new IOM standards take into account things children today are consuming too much of, namely calories, saturated and trans fat, sodium, and caffeine.

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CSPI Urges FDA to Ban Grain Imports from China

April 23, 2007

b>American Pets are Serving as Puppies in the Coal Mine/b>br/>WASHINGTONThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should ban imports of wheat gluten, rice protein, and other grain products from China until the agency can certify that the products are free of chemical or microbial contamination, urged the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). In a a href=http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/chinese_grain_imports.pdf target=letter>letter/a> to FDA commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach, CSPI recommended that FDA should evaluate whether a ban is needed for other foods or ingredients coming from Chinathe source of the contaminated gluten linked to the largest-ever recall of pet food.

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Quaker Agrees to Tone Down Exaggerated Health Claims on Oatmeal

April 16, 2007

b>CSPI Drops Plans to Sue/b>br/>WASHINGTONThe Quaker Oats Company has agreed to drop certain claims on labels and in advertising that the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) says exaggerated the health benefits of eating oatmeal. Quaker will no longer describe its oatmeal as a unique whole grain food that actively finds cholesterol and removes it from the body and will no longer display a graph that greatly exaggerated the cholesterol-lowering potential of oatmeal. In turn, CSPI will not file a lawsuit that it warned Quaker company about in October.

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T.G.I. Fridays Right Portion, Right Price is Right Direction, Says CSPI

March 7, 2007

b>/b>br/>WASHINGTONT.G.I. Fridays deserves credit for its new Right Portion, Right Price menu, which gives consumers the option of several smaller entreés when they dine out, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Last week, the restaurant chain announced the move and became the first in its category to respond to consumer demand for smaller meals at discounted prices.

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British Crackdown on Junk Food Ads Praised

February 23, 2007

b>CSPI Says Food Companies and Broadcasters Should Comply with Similar Guidelines Here/b>br/>WASHINGTON Television advertising in the United Kingdom for foods high in fat, salt, or sugar will be reduced by up to 50 percent on programs viewed by children under 16 under tough new regulations promulgated by Ofcom, that countrys quasi-governmental telecommunications regulator. While U.K. consumer groups will press the British parliament to enact tighter standards, the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) urged multinational food companies to behave at least as well in the U.S. as theyll soon be required to behave in the U.K.

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