FDA looking to revise nutrition facts label

The Food and Drug Administration is looking to revise the nutrition facts label in order to provide more useful information to the consumer and fight obesity. A new proposal will look at providing more accurate servings sizes and a greater emphasis on calories. The daily percentage section that shows what an average diet should include for fat, sodium and carbohydrates may be scaled back or removed. FDA Deputy Commissioner Michael Taylor notes that the label revision will not be a grand overhaul but will seek to create a more useful nutritional snapshot of foods.

Black children twice as likely to have food allergies than white children

A recent study that involved 1,100 2 year olds in Boston found that black children were twice as likely to have an immune response to foods such as peanuts, milk, eggs and almost four times as likely to have a sensitization to three or more foods in comparison to white children. In addition, if a child's DNA had more African ancestry, the child was more likely to have a food sensitization to any food, especially that of peanuts. The foods tested included eggs, milk, peanuts, soy, shrimp, walnuts, wheat and cod. Many of the children involved in the study were from an urban area and low-income homes.

Reducing starchy food in school cafeteria lunches

A recent article in the LA Times proposed federal nutritional requirements for the National School Lunch Program would allow school cafeterias to offer students no more than one cup of starchy vegetables per week to take effect as early as fall 2012.

Friday Roundup

Here is a list of articles of interest published within the last 7-10 days:

Health
1. Does ADHD come from foods?, CNN.com, February 3, 2011
Brief Intro:"A team of scientists from the Netherlands set out to demonstrate in a study, published in the Lancet, that there could be a connection between what children eat and their ADHD-like behaviors. They go as far as to say that the standard of care for ADHD should include a restricted diet."

2. Starting solid foods early linked to obesity risk, MSNBC.com, February 7, 2011
Brief Intro:"Babies raised on formula who start eating solid foods before they are 4 months old may be more likely to become obese than those who start later, suggests a new study."

3. Processed food linked to lower kids' IQs, CNN.com, February 7, 2011
Brief Intro:"The study authors suggest their study found some evidence that when 3-year-old children eat a diet rich in foods that are high in fat, high in sugar and are processed, their IQ may find a small decrease in their IQ five years later. On the flip side, this new study suggests eating a healthy, nutrient rich diet may be associated with a small increase in IQ."

Race
1. Counting by race can throw off some numbers, NYT.com, Feburary 7, 2011
Brief Intro:"In the process, however, a measurement problem has emerged. Despite the federal government’s setting standards more than a decade ago, data on race and ethnicity are being collected and aggregated in an assortment of ways. The lack of uniformity is making comparison and analysis extremely difficult across fields and across time."

Education
1. Schools use celebrity wake-up calls to battle truancy, NYT.com, February 10, 2011
Brief Intro:"If the phone rings one morning and you hear a cheery “good morning” from Magic Johnson on the other end of the line or the R&B singer Trey Songz telling you to “get your education,” don’t hang up and roll over, bury yourself under your blanket and go back to sleep. This is no prank call. It’s the city’s latest attempt to get students who persistently skip class to start showing up more often.

The campaign, appropriately named “Wake Up! NYC,” rolls out next week. It will focus on the 6,500 students who have been absent for 10 or more school days in a single year and attend one of the 25 schools whose principals volunteered to join the effort. If it yields results, it will be expanded citywide, where roughly 250,000 students miss at least one month of school in a given year, officials said."

Clinton announces agreement for healthier lunches

A recent article in the Washington Post tells of an agreement announcement from former President Bill Clinton concerning leading food manufacturers and the push for healthier school lunch options. Seven companies have agreed to increase the sale of foods that meet science-based nutrition standards by 50% within five years. In addition, the manufacturers have agreed to set prices for healthy food options no higher than for those that are unhealthy.