Berkeley may be first in nation to ban big groceries from selling junk food at checkout lines

This week the Berkeley City Council unanimously voted to ban unhealthy food and beverages at the checkout line in major brick-and-mortar retail locations like Trader Joe's, Safeway and Whole Foods. Only food products with less than 5 grams of sugar and 250 milligrams of sodium will be sold in these areas. The Council expects that this will curb impulse buys and, by extension, the rate of obesity and diabetes. Find out when the ban will go into effect at Fox6Now...

Hemp groups say new DEA rule could hamper growers

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is being sued by a group representing the country's hemp farmers because of a new rule that will allegedly put producers out of business. Hemp company RE Botanicals and the Hemp Industries Association argue that the DEA's interim rule, which contains vague language regarding the up to 0.3% of THC allowed in hemp products as per the 2018 Farm Bill, could give the government reason to prevent the sale of products that could simply be diluted to contain the proper amount of THC. Learn more about the lawsuit and  DEA's interim rule at Modern Farmer…

For many kids, distance learning makes healthy eating a lot harder

A review of popular education platforms has revealed that America's ultra-processed food companies are taking advantage of widespread online learning by advertising objectively unhealthy products to young consumers. This type of food marketing is extremely problematic because it can undermine educational messages, create inequitable learning environments and exacerbate racial, ethnic and socioeconomic health disparities. Read the rest (and become fully outraged) at Portland Press Herald...

FDA releases long-overdue food traceability rule, and the White House demands a sign-off on all new initiatives

A rule nine years in the making has finally been released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (after being sued by the Center for Food Safety and forced to do so by September 2020) that will help prevent foodborne illness by tracing high-risk foods thorughout the supply chain. "High-risk" foods include cheeses, eggs, nut butters and leafy greens. Recently, FDA has received criticism for its role in approving future COVID-19 vaccinesl Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar sent a memo to the agency stating that it was not allowed to sign new rules regulating vaccines, food or drugs without his approval, per The New York Times. Head over to The Counter for Scott Gottlieb's take on the rule…

'It smells bad, it tastes bad': how Americans stopped trusting their water

America's water infrastructure has been neglected and mismanaged to the point where a significant amount of the country's residents now rely on bottled water completely. Federal funding for the nation's water systems have declined 77% since 1977, and grassroots activism has yet to effect enough change in terms of the transparency (literally and with regard to contaminants) and affordability of clean water. Learn more, and perhaps cast a sideways glance at your glass of tap water, at The Guardian...