Campaign Encourages FDA To Label GE Foods

The Just Label It (JLI) Campaign has announced that a record-breaking one million Americans of all political persuasions have called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to label genetically engineered (GE) foods, also referred to as genetically modified, or GMOs. The campaign also announced a new national survey revealing that Americans across the political spectrum stand united in support of labeling food that has been genetically engineered. This is a striking contrast to the partisan divisions plaguing our political system.

“Pink slime, deadly melons, tainted turkeys, and BPA in our soup have put us all on notice that what we eat and feed our families is critically important,” said Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, a JLI partner. “Americans overwhelmingly demand safety, transparency and labeling of genetically engineered foods. It’s time for the FDA to come clean and restore public confidence in our food system.”

Since October, JLI, the national campaign to require GE food labeling, and its more than 500 partner organizations have spearheaded a historic number of public comments for a GE foods labeling petition (Docket No. FDA 2011-P-0723-001/CP). Today, March 27, is when the FDA is required to respond to the petition. It took less than 180 days to accumulate the record number of comments.

“In recent years, Americans have shown a real interest in knowing more about our food and now there is a clear mandate for the labeling of genetically engineered foods. This petition asks the FDA to stand up for the rights of average Americans, and not just a handful of powerful chemical companies. It’s time for the FDA to give Americans the same rights held by citizens in 40 nations, including all of our major trade partners, to know whether our foods have been genetically modified. The FDA needs to restore confidence in our food and our right to know about the food we eat and feed our families,” said Gary Hirshberg, chairman of Stonyfield, a JLI partner.

New Survey Results: Motherhood, Apple Pie and GE Food Labeling

Consumer support for GE foods labeling in the U.S. is nearly unanimous, according to the political opinion survey on GE food labeling conducted by The Mellman Group on behalf of JLI. Explained pollster Mark Mellman, “Few topics other than motherhood and apple pie can muster over 90 percent support, but labeling GE foods is one of those few views held almost unanimously.”

The survey found nearly all Democrats (93 percent favor, 2 percent oppose), Independents (90 percent favor, 5 percent oppose) and Republicans (89 percent favor, 5 percent oppose) in favor of labeling. The study also revealed that support for labeling is robust and arguments against it have little sway.

Colorado mother and author Robyn O’Brien, who founded the AllergyKids Foundation, a JLI partner, after one of her children had an allergic reaction to breakfast, said: “Americans are responding to the call for GE foods labeling because they want more information for their families. Like allergen labeling, GE food labels would provide essential and possibly life-saving information for anyone with a food allergy. Being responsible for the health and safety of my children, I believe it’s my right to know about the food I feed my family…from allergens, to ‘pink slime’ to GE foods.”

“Genetically engineered foods,” “genetically modified organisms,” or GMOs, are organisms that have been created through application of transgenic, gene-splicing techniques that are part of biotechnology. This relatively new science allows DNA (genetic material) from one species to be transferred into another species, creating transgenic organisms with combinations of genes from plants, animals, bacteria, and even viral gene pools. The mixing of genes from different species that have never shared genes in the past is what makes GMOs and GE crops so unique. It is impossible to create such transgenic organisms through traditional crossbreeding methods, according to a JLI news release.

Johnsonville Sausage, French’s Mustard Sharing ‘Big Taste’

Johnsonville Sausage has teamed up with French’s Mustard to further elevate the flavor variety and choices on the company’s 2012 “Big Taste Grill” tour. The Johnsonville Big Taste Grill is a semi-truck-sized grill that tours the country attending various events and raising money for charitable organizations—offering a one-of-a-kind grilling experience for folks around the country.

This year, a French’s Mustard bar will be added to the tour and be available for people to enjoy a wide variety of mustards at all Johnsonville Big Taste Grill tour stops.

“For more than 15 years, we’ve been proud to share the great taste of Johnsonville Brats fresh off the grill, while at the same time raising more than $3 million for great causes,” said Bruce Johnson, Johnsonville senior brand manager. “At Johnsonville, we are always looking to make these events even tastier. Mustard is a classic brat topping, but on our previous tours we were only using yellow mustard. With their commitment to quality and great taste, French’s Mustard was a natural choice to bring more variety to visitors at Big Taste Grill events. We’re excited to include French’s products in this year’s Big Taste Grill tour.”

Brat lovers will be able to choose from seven different mustards, including Classic Yellow, Spicy Brown, Horseradish, Honey, and French’s newest variety, Dijon Mustard made with Chardonnay Wine.

“As America’s No. 1 mustard brand, we know there’s nothing better than a Johnsonville Brat fresh off the grill, topped with delicious mustard,” said Barbara Yaros, French’s marketing services director. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Johnsonville this year to offer brat lovers around the country the opportunity to try several different mustards on their brats at Big Taste Grill tour stops.”

Weighing in at 53,000 pounds and measuring 65 feet long, the Big Taste Grill is the world’s largest touring grill. It is equipped with hot and cold running water, a prep station and a refrigeration unit. The Big Taste Grill has the capacity to cook more than 750 brats at a time, or 2,500 brats an hour. And, it can accommodate more than 12 “grillmasters” at any given time.

The 2012 Johnsonville Big Taste Grill tour is set to kick off at the end of this month. Details of the tour schedule will be released soon.

For more information and to follow the Big Taste Grill blog, visit www.bigtastegrill.com.

Kroger, Safeway Among Stores Cutting Pink Slime

Just announced: After recent customer concern, The Kroger Co. says it will no longer purchase ground beef containing lean finely textured beef.

A statement released today, March 22, says, “Kroger listens to our customers carefully to provide the high quality products they want at the great prices they deserve. Our customers have expressed their concerns that the use of lean finely textured beef—while fully approved by the USDA for safety and quality—is something they do not want in their ground beef. We highly value customer feedback, and the recent flood of news stories has diminished their confidence in the product.

“As a result, Kroger will no longer purchase ground beef containing lean finely textured beef,” the company adds.

Kroger is the nation’s largest traditional grocery retailer, employs more than 339,000 associates who serve customers in 2,435 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 31 states under two dozen local banner names including Kroger, City Market, Dillons, Jay C, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith’s.

On Wednesday, any meat at Safeway with “pink slime” was taken off the shelves.

Safeway’s statement says that “considerable consumer concern” led to its decision even though “the USDA and food industry experts agree that lean finely textured beef is safe and wholesome…Safeway will no longer purchase ground beef containing lean finely textured.”

Safeway Publix, H-E-B, Whole Foods and Costco promise their ground beef is additive free—no pink slime, ksfy.com reports.

Supervalu also has made the decision to no longer purchase fresh ground beef containing finely textured beef in any of our traditional retail stores. These stores include Acme, Albertsons, Cub Foods, Farm Fresh, Hornbacher’s, Jewel-Osco, Lucky, Shaw’s/Star Market, Shop ‘n Save and Shoppers Food & Pharmacy.

TravelCenters, Trucking Solutions Sponsor Health Awareness Walk

The entire trucking industry is invited to join TravelCenters of America LLC and Trucking Solutions Group for the third annual MATS Health Awareness Walk. The walk, sponsored by TA and Petro Stopping Centers branded travel centers, together with Trucking Solutions Group, will be held at 9 a.m. Friday, March 23, during the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky.

The MATS Health Awareness Walk—the first of its kind—is a fitness event for the trucking industry. There is no cost, but registration is required. Registration is available online at www.truckingsolutionsgroup.org or at MATS at the TA/Petro booth No. 19156. Participants will receive T-shirts and goodie bags, while supplies last, with health information and giveaways. Walkers will meet in the west wing of the Kentucky Expo Center in room WH2 at 8 a.m. Refreshments will be served prior to the walk.

The MATS Health Awareness Walk is a fun, non-competitive 1.5-mile course for anyone in the trucking industry who is thinking about getting fit, wanting to stay healthy or looking for tips to enhance their workouts. Participants can choose to walk part or all of the 1.5-mile distance.

TA and Petro are working toward making personal health and fitness easier for all truckers. Westlake, Ohio-based TravelCenters rolled out its StayFit program in 2010, offering better-for-you restaurant menu options and travel store items, in addition to free fitness centers and mapped walking trails nationwide.

The Trucking Solutions Group began in 2008 for members to share best practices in the trucking industry and assist each other with improving their businesses. The Driver Health Council, a committee within the group, is dedicated to raising awareness of health issues in the industry. The council began health awareness walks in 2010 and holds them at various trucking industry conferences and events.

Packaging & The Environment: Shoppers Say, ‘Please Help Me!’

In the most recent research conducted by Perception Research Services, shoppers demonstrate that they are interested in choosing environmentally friendly packaging. Significantly more shoppers say they would like to choose environmentally friendly packaging compared to 2010 (36 percent vs. 28 percent), with fully half still willing to pay more (despite the economy). This is especially true of younger (under age 40) shoppers. More than half (59 percent) of the survey’s sample say that seeing environmental claims on packaging positively impacts their behavior (to either buy more of the brands they usually do, or switch to others).

Ironically, while shoppers continue to notice environmental claims at a high level (roughly half say seeing more of them in the past six months, just as in 2010), they are increasingly frustrated by the information provided. Significantly more report there isn’t enough environmental information (26 percent vs. 20 percent), that they are confused by all the different environmental claims (20 percent vs. 12 percent), and that they don’t know which packages are best for the environment (22 percent vs. 17 percent).

Importantly, fewer shoppers feel that manufacturers’ motives are primarily honorable (57 percent vs. 61 percent). Shoppers are becoming more skeptical of manufacturers behaviors and motives in this area, as more say that companies are increasingly self-serving (enhance reputation; realize profit gains) and show less concern for the environment.

Of the various claims seen, those having to do with recycling (recyclable, made from recycled material) are both noticed most and have the most impact on buying behavior. Conversely, made with less material is less influential.

In 2011, a significant increase in shoppers checked to see if a package could be recycled prior to buying it. Since seeing environmental claims positively impacts purchase behavior, it is incumbent upon manufactures to clearly convey this feature.

Fully two-thirds of shoppers indicate that they recycle on a regular basis. Those who do not recycle claim that the single biggest reason they don’t is that they forget to do so (44 percent)—suggesting that messaging could serve as a useful reminder. This also could help bridge the gap between shoppers’ stated concern for the environment (66 percent very/somewhat concerned) and their level of activity regarding the environment (46 percent very/somewhat active).

“We’re seeing a great opportunity for manufacturers to provide truly value-added packaging to their target shoppers by making it more environmentally friendly—primarily in the form of recyclability and recycled content—and clearly communicating these aspects. We have seen that it is vital to get both the message right (what is said) as well as the delivery (how it is executed on pack)—because one without the other will create a missed opportunity,” says Jonathan Asher, EVP of Perception Research Services. “In addition, it is becoming apparent that the days of disguising cost reductions (e.g., smaller, thinner packages) as being driven by environmental concerns may be coming to an end, and continuing to do so may test shoppers’ good will.”

The four waves of this research were conducted in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 across the U.S., among over 1,000 primary household grocery shoppers age 18-64 per wave.

AMI Foundation: Red, Processed Meats Safe Components Of Balanced Diet

A new study in today’s Archives of Internal Medicine tries to predict the future risk of death from cancer or cardiovascular disease by relying on notoriously unreliable self-reporting about what was eaten and obtuse methods to apply statistical analysis to the data. That’s according to the American Meat Institute (AMI) Foundation.

“This imprecise approach is like relying on consumers’ personal characterization of their driving habits in prior years in determining their likelihood of having an accident that kills them in the future,” a news release from the AMI Foundation says. “It has a high likelihood of giving erroneous conclusions.”

“Red and processed meat continues to be a healthy part of a balanced diet and nutrition decisions should be based on the total body of evidence, not on single studies that include weak and inconsistent evidence and stand in contrast to other research and to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010,” says Betsy Booren, AMI Foundation director of scientific affairs.

The news release adds: “Beyond the major weakness of this being an epidemiological study that uses survey data—not test tubes, microscopes or lab measurements—the researchers method of collecting and analyzing their data is highly inaccurate. The information in the report indicates that estimates of red and processed meat intake were only 27 to 35 percent accurate vs. actual measurements. The researchers also inserted estimated data where an actual survey measurement was missing and also stopped updating the dietary information once participants reported a diagnosis. All of these factors could have significant impacts on the results.”

“Too often, epidemiological findings are reported as ‘case closed’ findings, as if a researcher has discovered the definitive cause of a disease or illness. But epidemiological studies look at a multitude of diet and lifestyle factors in specific volunteer human populations and use sophisticated statistical methods to try and tease out relationships or associations between these factors and certain forms of disease. This method of comparing relationships has many limitations, which are widely recognized by researchers in this field. More often than not, epidemiological studies, over time, provide more contradictions than conclusions,” Booren says.

She concludes, “All of these studies struggle to disentangle other lifestyle and dietary habits from meat and processed meat and admit that they can’t do it well enough to use their conclusions to accurately recommend people change their dietary habits. What the total evidence has shown, and what common sense suggests, is that a balanced diet and a healthy body weight are the keys to good health.”