The FDA’s Nutrition Label Gets A Makeover

The Obama administration recently released its proposed changes to the nutrition label. The most visible change is that calorie counts are bigger and bolder ? to give them greater emphasis. In addition, serving sizes start to reflect the way most of us really eat. Under the proposed new label, the serving size would become 1 cup. So, the calorie count that you see on the label will probably be much closer to what you’re actually eating. For example,? a 20-ounce bottle of soda would be labeled as one serving. And with that, the calorie count at the top will come closer to reality. Another significant change: The new panel will include a separate line for added sugars. This is aimed at helping consumers distinguish between the sugars that are naturally found in foods (such as the sugar in raisins found in cereal) from the refined sugars that food manufacturers add to their products. And, the intent here, is to help cue Americans to consume less of it. Despite industry opposition to the listing of added sugars, officials say they’re confident the science is strong enough to justify adding it to the label.

?Yoga Mat? Chemical Found in nearly 500 Foods

According to an analysis by the Environmental Working Group, the controversial ?yoga mat? chemical that Vani Hari, creator of FoodBabe.com, campaigned to remove from Subway sandwich bread has turned up in nearly 500 items and more than 130 brands of bread, stuffing, pre-made sandwiches and snacks. According to ingredient data obtained for a new food database project EWG is creating, researchers found azodicarbonamide, an industrial ?chemical foaming agent,? on the labels of many well-known brands, including Pillsbury, Sara Lee, Shoprite, Safeway, Smucker?s, Fleischman?s, Jimmy Dean, Kroger, Little Debbie, Tyson, Nature?s Own and Wonder. Click here to see the full list of foods that contain ADA. The information detailed in the EWG analysis is based on data from FoodEssentials, a company that compiles the ingredients and claims made on foods sold in American supermarkets. ?ADA is a synthetic substance used by plastics makers to generate tiny bubbles that make materials light, spongy and strong. ?These materials show up in flip-flops, yoga mats and many types of foam packing and insulation. In 1956, a New Jersey pharmaceutical and engineering firm discovered that ADA could be used as a ?dough conditioner? to make bread that would rise higher, stay soft and resilient and form an attractive crust. ?The Food and Drug Administration approved its use as a food additive six years later. The World Health Organization has linked ADA to increased risk of respiratory problems and skin irritation in workers handling large volumes of the chemical. The additive has not undergone extensive testing to determine its health effects on humans. The FDA allows ADA in U.S. food but it is not approved for use as a food additive in either the European Union or Australia. EWG is calling on food manufacturers to immediately end its use of ADA in food.

Obesity Rate for Young Children Plummets 43% in a Decade

Federal health authorities reported a 43 percent drop in the obesity rate among 2- to 5-year-old children over the past decade, the first broad decline in an epidemic that often leads to lifelong struggles with weight and higher risks for cancer, heart disease and stroke. The drop emerged from a major federal health survey that experts say is the gold standard for evidence on what Americans weigh. The trend came as a welcome surprise to researchers. New evidence has shown that obesity takes hold young: Children who are overweight or obese at 3 to 5 years old are five times as likely to be overweight or obese as adults. A smattering of states have reported modest progress in reducing childhood obesity in recent years, and last year the federal authorities noted a slight decline in the obesity rate among low-income children. But the figures on Tuesday showed a sharp fall in obesity rates among all 2- to 5-year-olds, offering the first clear evidence that America?s youngest children have turned a corner in the obesity epidemic. About 8 percent of 2- to 5-year-olds were obese in 2012, down from 14 percent in 2004.

Local Food and Sustainability Organizations Launch Long Island Community Gardens Website

In partnership with Stony Brook University Family Medicine?s Community Roots Project and the Suffolk County Food Policy Council, Sustainable Long Island and Stony Brook University Family Medicine?s Dietetic Interns have developed a Long Island Community Gardens website, which will serve as an online-hub focused upon starting, maintaining, and successfully running a local community garden. The website?www.longislandcommunitygardens.org, will also serve as an educational resource on the benefits, concerns, types, and locations of community gardens across Long Island. This newly launched website will be an invaluable resource to anyone seeking to learn more about community gardens,? said Erin Thoresen, Senior Program Coordinator at Sustainable Long Island and Chair of the Suffolk County Food Policy Council?s Food Equity Subcommittee. ?Not only will it provide information on how to create and maintain your own garden, but it will offer ideas on expanding access to healthy, affordable food options. In creating this resource, our hope is that it will inspire the public to get outdoors more and improve their physical health by taking part in related activities, such as digging, building, planting, and more.? The website was implemented after the three collaborating organizations (Sustainable Long Island, Stony Brook University Community Roots Project, and the Suffolk County Food Policy Council) identified the need for online resources dedicated strictly to local Community Gardens. After research and the actual building of two community gardens in Long Beach and Freeport, it became a top priority to develop a central hub where streamlined information on community gardens was made readily available.