Lab Tests Point to Problems with Trendy New Stevia Sweetener

Coca-Cola and Pepsi are planning to introduce new drinks made with rebiana, an extract of stevia leaves that is 200 times sweeter than sugar. But according to a new 26-page report by toxicologists at the University of California, Los Angeles, several, though not all, laboratory tests show that the sweetener causes mutations and DNA damage, which raises the prospect that it causes cancer. In a letter to the Food and Drug Administration, the Center for Science in the Public Interest says the agency should require additional tests, including a key animal study, before accepting rebiana as Generally Regarded as Safe, or GRAS. .

By CSPI, USA.

Health Policy Resource.

Local and State Governments Call for Federal Action to Reduce Salt Levels in Food

With high-salt diets increasingly being recognized as a major cause of high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes, health officials from around the country have called on the Food and Drug Administration to press food manufacturers and restaurants to cut back on salt. The comments were made in response to the FDA’s request for public input on a petition filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest urging the agency to revoke the "generally recognized as safe," or GRAS, status of salt and to limit sodium levels in various food categories. .

By CSPI, USA.

Health Policy Resource.

UN COUNTER-TERRORISM REVIEW SHOULD MAKE HUMAN RIGHTS A PRIORITY

As the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) conducts the first major review of its Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, an Amnesty International report shows how governments have so far failed to uphold the Strategy's human rights standards.Adopted on 8 September 2006, the UN Strategy was the first global attempt to agree on a set of practical action points to combat terrorism. In the Strategy, all States recognize, unequivocally, that human rights are the fundamental basis for the fight against terrorism. .

By Amnesty International, USA.

Human Rights Policy Resource.

Human Rights Organization Demands Stay of Execution

The Attorney General's decision to issue the death warrant is an appalling display of injustice,” said Larry Cox, executive director for AIUSA. “Given the Georgia Supreme Court’s failure to order an evidentiary hearing for Mr. Davis, it is all the more essential that the Georgia Board step in. We are disappointed by the Attorney General’s decision to short-circuit justice.” .

By Amnesty International, USA.

Human Rights Policy Resource.

Protest launches tour against enforced disappearance in Pakistan

Amnesty International called on the Pakistan government to reveal the fate and whereabouts of hundreds of disappeared people, amid international protests to mark the 25th International Day of the Disappeared on Saturday 30 August. .

By Amnesty International, USA.

Human Rights Policy Resource.