3/12/2009

in the news: faux fiber; HR 875 threatening organic farming?

"Dietary Fibber: Don't be fooled by polydextrose and other fiber additives" -- Slate.com covers the rising popularity of faux-fiber surrogates in foods from yogurt to sugar cereals. Unsurprisingly, food companies are attempting to capitalize on the health benefits associated with dietary fiber (the kind found in fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains), and are using processed fiber-like additives (such as polydextrose and inulin), which the FDA has recently approved in more products. The article's author, Jacob Gershman, points out how food producers are responding to increasing consumer attention to labels, and responding accordingly -- thanks to new FDA regulations, these processed/synthesized fiber additives can be listed as dietary fiber on nutrition labels, despite the lack of clinical research supporting such a claim.

In other news, there has been concern raised in various quarters over House bill HR 875, the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009. HR 875 appears to be a response to recent concerns over food safety and contamination, but critics argue that it will undermine small organic farms and sustainable agriculture. I haven't seen any major news outlets cover the bill yet, and the critics include everyone from small farm advocates to anti-federalist libertarians. A number of different people have pointed out that the husband of the sponsoring Rep, Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), works for Monsanto, and that this bill will benefit big agribusiness at the expense of small farmers. Take a look for yourself, and contact your rep to find out their position.

6 comments:

~~louise~~ said...

Hi Jordan,
I confess, I've been "lurking" for much to long. I decided today was the day to let you all know how much I appreciate the wealth of information shared at fresh eggs.

Thank you so much:)

Anonymous said...

If you don't like HR875, Please check out the online petition to stop it: http://www.LeaveMyFoodAlone.org

Spread the word!

jordan1.0 said...

Hi louise! Thanks so much for your kind comment -- it's great to know people are reading & enjoying the posts here.

poljoprivreda said...

Your blog is very informative and there is a probably a lot of enregy to keep it alive. It is hard to find a good blog this days. Thank you.

Shire Jobs UK said...

I think the need to guard against these lurking dangers is now.

Mroberts said...

I don't think the governement will be happy until they have put every small business out of business. The HR875 threatens small growers and is just another excuse for government to get in our business and pockets.