FDA Adds Mangoes Linked to Salmonella to Import Alert List

Mangoes produced by Mexico-based Agricola Daniella and imported by Splendid Products, based in Burlingame, Calif., have been placed on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) import alert list and will be denied admission into the United States unless the importer shows they are not contaminated with Salmonella.

FDA also is warning consumers not to eat mangoes from Agricola Daniella because they have been linked to a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Braenderup that has infected 105 people in 16 states. The California Department of Public Health has traced several illnesses of the outbreak strain of Salmonella Braenderup through the supply chain to Agricola Daniella.

On Aug. 24, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recalled Agricola Daniella brand mangoes sold to retailers in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon. The recall was expanded to the United States on Aug. 29 when Splendid Products recalled all mangoes from Mexico. Many nationwide retailers followed with their own recalls.

McDonald’s Adds Calorie Counts to Menus Beginning Sept. 17

Beginning Sept. 17, McDonald’s will list calorie information on restaurant and drive-thru menus at its nationwide locations to further inform and help customers and employees make nutrition-minded choices. The fast-food chain is rolling out the new menu labeling ahead of new federal menu labeling laws requiring restaurant chains with 20 or more locations to post calorie counts on menus that are expected to take effect sometime after the presidential election.

New York City, California, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon and Vermont already have laws that require calorie labeling in chain restaurants. Companies, such as Panera Bread and Au Bon Pain, already have amended their menus to reflect calorie counts; however, McDonald’s is the first fast-food chain to reflect calorie counts on menus.

The menu labeling rule applies to chain restaurants and similar retail food establishments. Consumers would see calories listed in restaurants and similar retail food establishments that are part of a chain with 20 or more locations doing business under the same name and offering for sale substantially the same menu items. Examples of these establishments include fast food establishments, bakeries, coffee shops and certain grocery and convenience stores. Movie theaters, airplanes, bowling alleys, and other establishments whose primary purpose is not to sell food would not be subject to this proposed regulation

STUDY: OMEGA-3S WILL NOT REDUCE CVD RISK

New research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggests omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation does not appear to reduce the risk of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events.

Researchers at the University Hospital of Ioannina conducted a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials on omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and major cardiovascular outcomes. Of the 3,635 citations retrieved, 20 studies with 68,680 randomized patients were included, reporting 7,044 deaths; 3,993 cardiac deaths; 1,150 sudden deaths; 1,837 heart attacks; and 1,490 strokes.

The researchers found no statistically significant association with all-cause mortality, cardiac death, sudden death, heart attack and stroke when all supplement studies were considered.

“In conclusion, omega-3 PUFAs are not statistically significantly associated with major cardiovascular outcomes across various patient populations," they said, adding their findings do not justify the use of omega-3 as a structured intervention in everyday clinical practice or guidelines supporting dietary omega-3 PUFA administration.

Harry B. Rice, Ph.D., vice president, regulatory and scientific affairs, Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED), said decades’ worth of high-quality research showing the positive effects of omega-3s on heart health should not be negated every time a neutral or negative study is published.

“There’s little doubt in my mind that consumers should take EPA and DHA for heart health," he said. “Several neutral studies, whether they are clinical trials or meta-analyses, don’t begin to make a dent in the totality of the available scientific evidence demonstrating a role for EPA and DHA in both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. The supporting body of literature is immense and continues to grow annually."

Commenting on the meta-analysis, Duffy MacKay N.D., vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), issued a statement that said: “Consumers should not discount the many proven benefits of omega-3 fatty acids in all stages of life. There is extensive scientific evidence demonstrating the importance of omega-3 fats during pregnancy/lactation, breastfeeding and childhood. Furthermore, omega-3 fats have a role in maintaining the health of adults as well as in the prevention of age-related chronic diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline). This study does not change the current recommendations by authoritative bodies such as the World Health Organization, American Heart Association and the U.S. National Academies of Science, who recommend adequate consumption of omega-3 fats."

 

A Great Ice Cream

We are working with a new account. It is the best Ice Cream I have ever tasted.

Please go to Dave's Famous Ice Cream on facebook and give me some comments

http://www.facebook.com/#!/davidsfamous