Food News in Brief 31419

Food News in Brief

CoroWise phytosterols, manufactured by Cargill Health& Food Technologies (H&FT), are in Hain Celestial Groups RiceDream Heart Wise drink; it is the first rice beverage to carry the Food andDrug Administrations (FDA) approved heart health claim for phytosterols onits label, according to Cargill H&FT. ... Consumers in the United Kingdompurchased more genetically engineered (GE) sweet-corn and potatoes comparedto conventional, non-GE varieties by a ratio of 3-to-2 (8,160 cobs vs. 5,430cobs), according to the October issue of the British Food Journal (105,10:700-13, 2003). Researchers wrote the majority of consumers were moreconcerned about pesticides than genetic engineering; however, taste and qualityalso had a strong influence on purchasing decisions. ... The European FoodSafety Authority (EFSA) approved Reductol (a cholesterol-lowering ingredientby Forbes Medi- Tech Inc.) for use in food products, provided totalphytosterol intake does not exceed 3 g/d, according to the company. MonsantoCorp. recently filed a lawsuit against a dairy inMaine because its milk product labels mislead consumers by advertising ano-artificial-hormone pledge, implying that its milk is safer and healthierbecause it comes from cows not injected with recombinant bovine somatotropin(rBST), a genetically engineered growth hormone marketed by Monsanto, accordingto an article in Dec. 22s Time magazine (Leeds MR. Got Hormones?);FDA approved rBST in 1993 after tests showed no significant difference betweenmilk from injected and uninjected cows. ... Geneticallymodified foods may not be insurable, according to aDec. 1 report from Wired News. Industry representatives say this isbecause FDA does not regulate genetically modified products; no regulationtroubles potential insurers. ... Nutrinova Inc.s high-intensitysweetener Sunett was approved as a general purpose sweetener and flavorenhancer for the United States by the FDA.