"cspi" news and stories

"Toxi-Cola." That's what one public advocacy group wants you to think when you reach for your next can of Coke or Pepsi, and it's taking its case to the Food and Drug Administration.

The D.C.-based group, Center for Science in the Public Interest, says that the "caramel coloring" used in a variety of soft drinks contains chemicals that have been shown to cause cancer, and it has petitioned the FDA to ban those chemicals.

"In contrast to the caramel one might make at home by melting sugar in a saucepan, the artificial brown coloring in colas and some other products is made by reacting sugars with ammonia and sulfites under high pressure and temperatures," CSPI said in a press release. "Chemical reactions result in the formation of 2-methylimidazole and 4 methylimidazole, which in government-conducted studies caused lung, liver, or thyroid cancer or leukemia in laboratory mice or rats."

Photo: chooyutshing, Flickr

Bon appétit?

On Tuesday, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) released its list of Top 10 riskiest foods policed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. According the the report, the items on the "FDA Top 10" account for nearly 40-percent of all reported foodborne outbreaks since 1990. The CSPI is a non-profit food safety and public health organization.

The FDA regulates nearly 80 percent of the nation's food supply including fruits and vegetables, seafood, egg and dairy products and most packaged foods.

But are they being overly cautious? Read the list after the jump.

You had to know it was only a matter of time before this happened. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has filed a lawsuit against Coca-Cola and Nestlé for weight-loss claims and labeling of their latest product, Enviga. As Sarah wrote back in October, the sparkling green tea has been marketed as having "negative calories" and is labeled as "the calorie burner".

CSPI's mission is to protect consumers by stopping deceptive advertising and labeling of products. The non-profit organization had their team of scientists review the claims made by Enviga and responded by saying the product is a "highly caffeinated and over-priced diet soda, and is exactly the kind of faddy, phony diet aid it claims not to be."

Have any of you tried Enviga? Would this news cause you to stop drinking it, or do you believe in (or have seen results of) the product's ability to actually burn calories?

Source

The words "all natural" on the packaging of Capri Sun juice drinks have prompted a Florida woman to file a lawsuit against Kraft Foods, Inc., the drink's producer, the Associated Press reported. Assisted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Linda Rex of Boynton Beach, Fla., claims that the inclusion of high fructose corn syrup is what makes the drink in the little silver pouch less than "all natural." You might remember the CSPI from when they filed and then withdrew lawsuits against Kentucky Fried Chicken over trans-fat use last year, or for their similar actions against Starbucks. A recent press release from CSPI points out that the organization has also challenged 7UP's use of the word "natural." A statement from Kraft says that the "all natural" label was already on the way out and will soon be replaced with packaging that claims "no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives,'' the AP reported. CSPI's always-witty executive director Michael Jacobson, coiner of phrases such as "venti-sized health problems" and "Kentucky Fried coronary," said HCFS "would more accurately be called 'Fresh from the Factory.'"