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David Michaels.  The Triumph of Doubt: Dark Money and the Science of Deception.  Oxford University Press, 2019.  

Even though this book is not strictly about food politics, it has enough about the sugar and alcohol industries to qualify.  I did a blurb for it.

Triumph of Doubt is an industry-by-industry account of how corporations manipulate science and scientists to promote profits, not public health.  Nothing less than democracy is at stake here, and we all should be responding right away to David Michaels’ call for action.

Michaels, a former OSHA official, has written an insider’s look at a wide range of industries that follow the tobacco industry’s playbook for casting doubt on inconvenient science.  The range is impressive: football, diesel fuel, opioids, silica dust, Volkswagen cars, climate denial, food packaging chemicals, alcohol, sugar, and Republican ideology

He’s got some ideas about what to do—keep conflicted scientists out of policy making, for example—but in this political environment?

That leaves it up to us folks to take to the streets.  If only.

I can hardly keep up with the accounts of the CBD business.  The business is booming.

The research?  Not so much.

The regulation? Lagging.

Here are some recent items.

• NASDA, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, has a report on hemp.
• Plaintiff’s Bar turns attention to CBD with wave of lawsuits alleging products contain ‘significantly lower levels’ than advertised
  redicted in the wake of reports highlighting discrepancies between actual and stated levels of CBD in consumer products, the plaintiff’s bar has turned its attention to the burgeoning category with a series of lawsuits alleging that products contain “significantly lower levels of CBD than advertised.”.. Read
• CBD’s Novel Food status reiterated by German high courts:  A higher court in Germany rules that cannabidiol (CBD) is a novel food confirming the decision made by one of the country’s administrative courts back in November last year. Read more
• Recall round-up: Hemp extract in spray and drug-contaminated supplements:  Aphrodisiac supplements for men, an update to a cumin recall and a non-approved Novel Food found in a CBD dietary supplement are among notices issued by food agencies last month in NutraIngredients monthly round-up. Read more
• Italy adopts decree setting maximum THC levels in supplements:  Italy’s Ministry of Health confirms the maximum level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) permitted in food supplements is set at two milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg). Read more
• EFSA warns THC levels of hemp-containing supplements exceed safety limit:  The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) warns of consequences to the heart and cardiovascular system as a result of consuming large amounts of hemp products that includes supplements, teas and energy drinks. Read more
• FDA asks for $5 million for CBD initiatives; industry groups cautiously in favor:  A $5 million FDA budget request earmarked for CBD initiatives has garnered the cautious support of dietary supplement stakeholders…. Read more
• CBD’s Novel Food status reiterated by German high courts: A higher court in Germany rules that cannabidiol (CBD) is a novel food confirming the decision made by one of the country’s administrative courts back in November last year… Read 
• CBD ruling major blow to industry: The novel foods status of cannabidiol (CBD) has been a major blow for the industry, but one that is not so easily enforced, experts have claimed…. Read more
• CBD food decision made by Food Standards Agency:  The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is giving the CBD industry a deadline of 31 March 2021 to submit valid novel food authorisation applications…. Read more

Formula companies must be desperate for sales.  They are spending four times what they used to on advertising of “toddler milk,” formula ostensibly aimed at children who no longer need infant formula and are perfectly capable of eating real food.

So says a new study in the journal Public Health Nutrition.  The study comes from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, now at the University of Connecticut in Hartford, a group specializing in research to inform policy.

The report points out that increasing sales of toddler formula come at a time when pediatric authorities specifically recommend against feeding toddler milks to young children.

Why?  Because young kids do not need them and the milks contain unnecessary added sugars.

As the paper points out, “These findings also support the need to regulate marketing of toddler milks in countries that prohibit infant formula marketing to consumers.”

The advertising of toddler milks gets around those policies and should stop.  Right now.

The Trump Administration has released its proposed budget for fiscal year 2021.

I emphasize proposed because Congress has to pass it before it goes into effect.  What will Congress do?  Time will tell.

With that said, here are the White House documents.

• The main budget page
• The 2021 budget: “A budget for America’s Future”
• Major savings and reforms
• Analytical Perspectives.  Its web page links to specific chapters
• Fact sheets  (two are particularly relevant: Support for working families, and Investing in Rural America)
• Budget summary tables

From the Hagstrom Report (thanks Jerry)

• Agriculture Department section
• Health and Human Services section

These sections are classic examples of double-speak.  The words mean precisely their opposites.  “Reform,” for example, really means cut budget and enrollment.

You want evidence?  The budget proposes an 8% cut to overall USDA spending, with a $15 billion cut to SNAP.

The Fact Sheet summarizes SNAP proposals [with my translations]:

Reforming [cutting budget and reducing SNAP participation]the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The Budget proposes to strengthen work requirements to help all able-bodied adults participating in SNAP enter the job market and work toward self-sufficiency [lose eligibility for participation].

The Budget also promotes the use of data and technology to improve program integrity and streamline State operations [Tightening up on fraud will reduce participation].

Finally, the Budget proposes to combine the traditional retail-based SNAP electronic benefit with the direct provision of nutritious and 100 percent Americangrown USDA Foods, maintaining our commitment to helping needy families avoid hunger while generating substantial savings to the taxpayer and allowing innovative partnerships with the private sector [Really?  USDA still hasn’t given up on Harvest Boxes?].

This is so awful that a group of Democratic members—all former recipients of SNAP benefits— wrote a letter to Trump expressing concerns.

Let’s hope Congress rejects these cuts.

The New York Times’ analyses

• Trump’s $4.8 Trillion Budget Would Cut Safety Net Programs and Boost Defense
• Trump budget would fray safety net
• What’s in President Trump’s 2021 fiscal budget

I swear I’m not making this up.

The study: Effect of Nut Consumption on Erectile and Sexual Function in Healthy Males: A Secondary Outcome:  Analysis of the FERTINUTS Randomized Controlled Trial.  Albert Salas-Huetos, Jananee Muralidharan, Serena Galiè, Jordi Salas-Salvadó, and Mònica Bulló.  Nutrients 2019, 11(6), 1372; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11061372.

The conclusion: “Including nuts in a regular diet significantly improved auto-reported orgasmic function and sexual desire.”

The funder: “This work was partially supported by the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council (INC)…INC is a non-profit entity registered at the Register of Foundations of Catalonia, Spain. Nuts were supplied by Crisolar, Spain.

Comment: I love these results, and have no doubt that the funder did too.  I can only imagine the ads based on this study.  News accounts too (here’s a good one from London’sDaily Mail).

The results were so interesting that a separate group reviewed the data and confirmed that the numbers led to the same results.  This is not surprising.  Most studies of bias in research show that it turns up mainly in the way the research question is framed or in the interpretation of the data, not in the conduct of the science or collection of data.

Hey guys: have problems?  Eat a mixture of raw walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts and collect your own data!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

How to celebrate?  You can do this:

Or this:

But Valentine’s Day, in case you haven’t noticed, is about candy:  A whopping $27 billion worth this year.

Valentine’s Day is big business.  Here are some items:

• • • NCA reveals America’s favorite Valentine’s Day chocolate filling: Chocolate and candy are an iconic part of modern-day gifting, but while many people enjoy a piece of chocolate from a heart-shaped box during the Valentine’s Day season, not every consumer approaches selection in the same way, the National Confectioners Association reveals… Read
    • How chocolates for Valentine’s Day have changed over the years:  Chocolatier, Paul A Young, has fused together romantic movies through the decades with chocolate to create a 12-piece collection for Valentine’s Day, claiming he has seen a reduction in consumers buying chocolate hearts for the occasion on February 14… Read  
    • Product showcase 2020: Love is in the air with Cupid-approved Strawberries & Cream popcorn, RedLove apple crisps and iconic British puds: February is snack food month. It’s also the month of love with Valentine’s Day (February 14) and a day that only comes around every four years, traditionally reserved for marriage proposals (February 29). So why not stock up with snacks to boost that euphoric mood?… Read more  
    • Pink power: Japanese firms loving ruby chocolate ahead of Valentine’s Day:  The popularity of ruby chocolate is skyrocketing amongst local and international confectionery and bakery companies alike in Japan, with a further boom expected ahead of Valentine’s Day …. Read more

  Enjoy the occasion, however you choose to eat your way through it.

I’ve been collecting items on what’s happening in the plant-based food world.  Lots.  It’s the hot new topic, as demonstrated by a recent Rabobank Talking Points survey.

For starters, do not miss the competing 30-second, spelling bee videos.  The first is from the Center for Consumer Freedom,  the discredited PR firm that never reveals who pays for their campaigns, although this one is pretty easy to guess; it aired in Washington, DC during the SuperBowl.  The 30-second rebuttal parody is from Impossible Foods, the inventor and marketer of Impossible Burgers.  CNBC has an exceptionally clear account of what this is all about.

Next, check out the February edition of Scientific American, which has a page titled “Meat the Imitators.” This lists the ingredients of four imitation meats, including Impossible Burger, in comparison to a burger made with real beef.  Worth a look.

Then, see The Guardian on how all this happened (with a long section on cell-based meat, as well).

And now to the industry perspective:

• • • Violife makes US (re)debut into plant-based cheese category:  Popular among vegan circles, plant-based cheese brand Violife is breaking into mainstream US grocery channels where it can go head to head with the likes of Daiya Foods and Kite Hill…. Read more
    • Nestlé and Merit Functional Foods enter joint development agreement to scale pea and canola proteins supply:  Under a new joint development agreement, Nestlé will help Merit Functional Foods and its technology partner, Burcon NutraScience, scale and commercialize its portfolio of plant proteins with the goal of using the startup’s novel ingredients in foods and beverages produced by the world’s largest food company…. Read more
    • Folded, frozen, and faster: JUST Egg is now more convenient, and cheaper, to enjoy:  Eat JUST, Inc, known for its JUST Egg liquid plant-based egg replacement made from the mung bean, has debuted a folded product that requires novice culinary skills to make, said co-founder and CEO Josh Tetrick, whose preferred method of preparation is the standard toaster…. Read more
    • Harmless Harvest moves into plant-based yogurt: ‘We’re making it pretty differently than just about anyone else’  Harmless Harvest – which has carved a distinct niche in the coconut water category via its use of micro-filtration (instead of thermal pasteurization) – is promising to bring the same commitment to novel processing methods, organic ingredients, and clean labels, to the plant-based yogurt market…. Read more
    • Roquette ‘significantly increases’ pea protein supply deal with Beyond Meat:  Ingredients specialist Roquette has extended its pea protein supply agreement with Beyond Meat for three more years. The amount supplied will ‘significantly’ increase compared to 2019 figures, Roquette executive Jean-Philippe Azoulay tells FoodNavigator…. Read more
    • Plant-based seafood brand Good Catch raises over $32m in Series B financing round: Gathered Foods, parent company to plant-based seafood brand Good Catch, has closed a series B funding round led by several industry players including Greenleaf Foods and 301 INC, the venture arm of General Mills…. Read more
    • Cool Beans targets shoppers seeking plant-based whole foods, not ‘processed’ meat analogs: The quest to precisely mimic the taste and texture of meat and dairy is driving innovation in the next generation of ‘plant-based’ foods. But there is also growing demand for less ‘processed’ products made from whole foods, says the CEO of Cool Beans…. Read more
    • Where next for plant-based in 2020? ADM shares top trend predictions for the category: The total retail market for plant-based foods in the US was worth nearly $4.5bn* in 2019 with dollar sales growing at 31% over the past two years compared to 4% for US retail total dollar food sales. And according to global ingredients supplier ADM, 2020 is “going to be another breakout year for the category.”… Read more  
    • Bubble burst? Researchers question long-term health and environmental effects of plant-based diet: Plant-based products have recently come under fire for potential negative health and environmental effects, but much of this has so far gone more or less unnoticed and/or unmentioned by its proponents, it has been claimed…. Read more 
    • Displaying entire nutrition profile of animal protein could protect sales from plant-based competition:  So far, the health halo surrounding plant-based products has led many consumers to overlook characteristics of newer versions of meatless products that might be a turnoff in other food categories, including longer-ingredient lists and less favorable nutritional profiles, suggests new research from the International Food Information Council Foundation… Read

Corteva Agroscience, the big agribiz company formed last year by merging much of Dow, DuPont and Pioneer, has apparently announced that it will cease producing chlorpyrifos.

Chlorpyrifos, according to the EPA, is “an organophosphate insecticide…used primarily to control foliage and soil-borne insect pests on a variety of food and feed crops.”  It is telling that the EPA’s definition fails to mention that this chemical has been linked to neurodevelopmental problems in children.

As the Washington Post explains,

Corteva Agriscience, the nation’s largest producer of chlorpyrifos, said the decision was driven by financial considerations, not safety concerns. “It’s a tough decision forW us to make, but we don’t feel like it’s viable going forward,” Susanne Wasson, Corteva’s president of crop protection, said in an interview. “It was a business decision.”  The announcement came the same day that California, a leading agricultural state, made it illegal to sell chlorphyrifos. It is one of a growing number of states that have moved to block the pesticide from the market.

This is big news. 

Last year, in an action considered a victory for the chemical industry, the EPA refused to ban chlorpyrifos.

The New York Times explained

The Trump administration took a major step to weaken the regulation of toxic chemicals on Thursday when the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would not ban a widely used pesticide that its own experts have linked to serious health problems in children.  The decision by Andrew R. Wheeler, the E.P.A. administrator, represents a victory for the chemical industry and for farmers who have lobbied to continue using the substance, chlorpyrifos, arguing it is necessary to protect crops.

The EPA’s decision reversed one made by the Obama administration, which banned chlorpyrifos in 2015 on the basis of the EPA’s own studies linking the chemical to impaired brain development in children.

Advocates for banning chlorpyrifos are not breaking out the champagne.  They say they still have work to do.  Other makers are still producing it.

Still, this has to be a win for the advocacy groups that have long been working hard to get rid of chlorpyrifos.

They deserve our congratulations and enthusiastic support.