November 2, 2012, 12:05 AM
The companies that make those candy bars leftover from Halloween don’t want Californians to be spooked by scary tales of “Frankenfoods.” The Hershey Co., Nestlé USA and Mars Inc. – makers of such trick-or-treat favorites as Butterfinger, Kit Kat and Snickers bars...
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May 3, 2012, 12:05 AM
If you’re in LA or Orange counties, odds are you’re not eating the fish you thought you were. A report released last week by the environmental advocacy group Oceana showed that 55 percent of the seafood it tested in the two counties was mislabeled. Nearly 120 samples were...
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April 17, 2012, 12:05 AM
Government health and food safety officials are seeking to close down two fish processing plants in California, citing concerns over the spread of bacteria and toxins in contaminated products. So far, there have been no illnesses associated with the two plants. However, government inspectors...
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January 24, 2012, 12:05 AM
Researchers have found higher-than-expected levels of deadly bacteria in what is considered the largest sampling of raw retail meat products in the United States. A team of researchers at the University of Iowa collected 256 samples of pork from 35 retail stores in Iowa, Minnesota and New...
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December 6, 2011, 12:05 AM
The Australian government has given the nod to winemakers to begin using a chemical contained in laxatives. While the chemical, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, has long been prized by the medical world for its anti-bulking and laxative properties, food scientists have...
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November 10, 2011, 12:05 AM
The California Department of Public Health initiated a recall Tuesday of an Indian candy that is tainted with high levels of lead. The candy, sold under the brand name Roopal Swad, was analyzed by the Public Health Department and found to contain up to 0.18 parts per million of lead. In...
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June 14, 2011, 12:05 AM
Hopefully, you’re a fan of onions, corn and pineapple – and not so sweet on apples, celery and strawberries. That’s because the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, released its annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. ...
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May 24, 2011, 12:05 AM
New state guidelines advise consumers to avoid eating shiner perch and sharks caught in the San Francisco Bay because the fish contain high levels of contaminants. An advisory released yesterday by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment said that shiner perch had high levels of...
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April 29, 2011, 12:05 AM
Coca-Cola shareholders are demanding the company disclose how it is addressing consumer concerns over a controversial chemical used in the epoxy linings of its beverage cans. But the company is refusing to provide that information. More than a quarter of the shareholders voted for...
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April 12, 2011, 12:05 AM
Europeans are abuzz with concerns about toxins discovered in store-bought baby foods. Swedish researchers are reporting “alarming” levels of arsenic, cadmium and lead in rice-based infant foods, such as cereal and porridge. Their study, appearing in the Journal of Food...
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April 5, 2011, 1:36 AM
Analyses indicate radiation from Japan’s nuclear “fallout” has found its way into the California milk supply. Last week, samples taken from a farm in San Luis Obispo and Spokane, Wash., showed contamination with low levels of the radioactive isotope, iodine 131. Not...
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March 23, 2011, 12:05 AM
The recent decision by the Department of Fish and Game to resume issuing permits for imports of live turtles and frogs for human consumption has divided state officials. A recent memo from Department of Fish and Game Director John McCamman to the Fish and Game Commission has its members...
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March 8, 2011, 12:08 AM
Industry is sparring with the state of Oregon over a ban that could keep food distributors from transporting foods on plastic pallets. In June 2009 the Oregon Legislature wrote a law that restricts the use of deca-BDE, a flame retardant chemical used in furniture, electronics and plastics....
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February 24, 2011, 12:05 AM
A dispute over frogs and turtles sold for human consumption is pitting some environmentalists against Asian American politicians in California. It’s part of a robust debate in the Capitol that is dividing traditional allies. State Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, along with five...
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December 8, 2010, 12:05 AM
Chemicals used to prevent or dampen fires in electronics, furniture and upholstery are showing up in our food chain. Researchers at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Dallas found high levels of the flame retardants known as PBDEs in a sample of butter. The scientists say...
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