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In This Issue
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CREMe Quick Links
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Greetings,
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Consumer health and safety was high on the
international media agenda this month. We have
discussed some of the issues raised here.
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A large number of articles on food, chemical
and product safety were published in the
media this month. Topics as diverse as lead
in lipstick, hazardous popcorn ingredients,
the health benefits of organic food,
Bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic, nutrition,
physical activity and the risk of cancer were
covered. We have provided links to some of
these and discussed the issues here.
Industry and government are expected to
protect consumers from potentially harmful
chemical exposures. How can industry and
policy makers constantly stay abreast of new
developments and monitor the impact of these
developments on consumer health?
There are a number of stakeholders in this
area including industry, retailers,
government, the scientific community,
consumer organisations and most importantly
consumers themselves.
Do these stakeholders have enough knowledge
about the current level of exposure of
different demographic groups to various
chemicals from their diverse consumption habits?
BPA in plastic bottles
This Reuters
article explains that a chemical found in
plastics used for everything from babies'
bottles to dental fillings poses a health
risk. This chemical is Bisphenol A (BPA), and
is routinely added to hard clear plastic
bottles. Studies have suggested that BPA may
act as an endocrine disrupter causing serious
health problems for consumers.
In what quantities does BPA leach from the
plastic into the food under normal usage
conditions? Is the resultant consumer
exposure a significant risk? This question
can be addressed using the packaging chemical
exposure models in CREMe
Food Safety.
World Cancer Research Fund Report
A comprehensive
report on research carried out on cancer
risk reduction was published by the WCRF this
month. This research took six years to
complete and an initial 500,000 studies were
screened for inclusion in the report.
Food composition (e.g. salt or sugar content)
and consumption levels of foods play a
central role in the risk of consumers
developing cancer.
Based on this research, the WCRF UK has
developed 10 recommendations based on the
conclusions of the report panel on how food
and lifestyle habits affect the risk of
cancer. The WCRF UK's recommendations for
cancer prevention can be read
here.
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