Last week saw an inter-agency power grab. It begins with the weakening of organic standards—and could end with the term “organic” becoming practically meaningless. Action Alert! In September, the USDA announced changes to its interpretation of the “sunset” provision in the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA), an incredibly important piece of legislation that Congress passed… Continue reading USDA Power Play Threatens the Future of Organic Foods
Month: November 2014
How a Monopoly Is Turning the Date Rape Drug into a Blockbuster Moneymaker
Patent protection means you get to charge whatever the market will bear. In this case, it bears a 935% increase in the price tag. Xyrem is the brand name for sodium oxybate. Sodium oxybate is the sodium salt of γ-hydroxybutyric acid, or GHB—the “date rape drug.” It’s an old drug—even older than aspirin—and it’s FDA-approved… Continue reading How a Monopoly Is Turning the Date Rape Drug into a Blockbuster Moneymaker
Latest FDA Moves Could Stop Further Research on Supplements
…and turn supplements into drugs. What is this agency thinking? Action Alert! What the FDA does about supplements is usually complicated—we think intentionally so, in order to confuse Congress and critics. Bear with us as we try to disentangle the threads. We need to get this story out now because the FDA has just opened a… Continue reading Latest FDA Moves Could Stop Further Research on Supplements
Latest FDA Moves Could Stop Further Research on Supplements
And if scientific research about them is published, the FDA will take them away—forever. Action Alert!
How a Monopoly Is Turning the Date Rape Drug into a Blockbuster Moneymaker
Patent protection means you get to charge whatever the market will bear. In this case, it bears a 935% increase in the price tag.
India Spending Over $2 Billion to Upgrade Its School Lunch Program
Don’t cheer yet—they’re spending all that money to get Pepsi to develop some processed food snacks for the kids! Bloomberg reports that India’s government is seeking help from an unlikely partner to improve the diets of 107 million of its hungriest children: PepsiCo. The current government has been in power for only three months, but… Continue reading India Spending Over $2 Billion to Upgrade Its School Lunch Program
FDA Censoring Free Speech on Facebook
Amazing—the little “Like” button has the power to magically turn supplements into drugs. Action Alert! You will recall how the FDA threatened cherry growers and walnut producers with jail if they opened their mouths about the curative powers of these foods. Now the FDA has issued a warning letter to the Utah nutritional supplement company… Continue reading FDA Censoring Free Speech on Facebook