The battle over fat-substitute olestra continues. But why did the FDA reverse itself in 2003?
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is readying a class-action lawsuit against Frito-Lay in Massachusetts, which has some of the most friendly pro-consumer protection laws in the country.…
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26 - Welfare Cheese
I looked in the mirror. I'm quite handsome. No wonder the chicks dig me. I met this chick online. Her name is Catherine Reynolds. I think I love her.
27 - david r. mark
Again, I'm passing along news. The pending lawsuit is announced, and I wrote about it a day later. So did some newspapers.
I then provided some background. It may not be flattering to the Bush Administration, but it's an accurate account of which administration was responsible for removing the warning label. It also gives accurate information about who P&G was trying to lobby, and how.
Andy, I said the 3,700 number may be misleading because people were harping on it being so small. I didn't, as I explained, initially mention complaints provided to the FDA by P&G -- that press release was brought to my attention after I wrote the original article. That hardly means the overall article is misleading. I just wanted to pass along additional information to counter one of the arguments made along the way.
28 - david r. mark
the thing that amazes me, again and again, is the screams from the right that what I write is wrong, even though the accusers can never point to a mistaken fact.
My stuff is factual correct, well attributed opinion. I don't make the BC rules as to what to label something.
When you guys call Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity and say, "You aren't being fair to the Democrats." Or "You are really one-sided in your commentary," then you'll have some credibility picking on my stuff and questioning the accuracy of the information provided. Until then, all I see is a bunch of whining because I dare point out some facts about your dearly beloved president.
29 - gonzo marx
David, just do your Thing, and don't sweat it.
let folks argue on the merits, and ignore the knee jerk Fools...
example: Sean Hannity...first broadcast job on a National scale was for the World Wrestling Federation as an announcer...he left and filed a "sexual harrassment lawsuit...no man of Principle he, he settled for an undetermined amount of cash
i can't make this shit up kiddies
take it for what it;s Worth, and think on the Parable inherent in the Tale...
Excelsior!
30 - Dave Nalle
I think you're an enabler, gonzo.
Dave
31 - sal m
the bottom line is that the CSPI has a suspect track record (that's being kind) and that this olestra story is a non-issue. and the fact that the CSPI delivered this "suit" with 396 new claims of loose stools brings into question the validity of these claims, especially when viewed in light of the stunts pulled by CSPI in the past.
to blame bush or clinton or some political hack/bureaucrat/lobbiest, or to ascribe some nefarious political reason to this ruling simply doesn't fly...to paraphrase an old saying that i think was meant to slight the city of brotherly love, "there's no there, there."
32 - david r. mark
That's your opinion. You are entitled to it. I humbly disagree, and stand by the facts laid out in the post.
33 - Mark Saleski
facts will get you nowhere around here david. at some point you will get right down to the nitty gritty and what will happen? the subject will be changed or you will be ignored.
34 - Dave Nalle
CSPI is indeed notoriously partisan, sal. I don't think anyone on either political side takes them seriously unless there's some advantage to be gained by siding with them. These are the folks who are taking Burger King to task for making a triple burger and going after the Smithsonian for having a display on the history of beer. They're crackpots.
Dave
35 - Igor
Olean/Olestra is made from cottonseed oil, an industrial byproduct of cotton fiber production. The cotton industry just wants to sell it's toxic waste as a food product. But it is high in dangerous Omega 6 fat, which causes heart disease.
Also, since cottonseed oil is incidental to cotton fiber agriculture it is not subject to control of pesticides and other poisons. Cottonseed oil gets a backdoor admission to the human food chain. Sure enough, it tests high in toxicity.
But it's being used everywhere, such as in potato chips, peanut butter, etc. Hydrogenated cottonseed oil is known as "Crisco".
36 - Igor
Out of curiosity, while at Target today, I compared the ingredients of well known R*tz crackers with the Target house brand, and the R*tz crackers contain cottonseed oil while the house brand doesn't (well, that's what the labels say).