logo
PMI U.S. Hosts Clinic on Legal Support for Veterans

PMI U.S. Hosts Clinic on Legal Support for Veterans

Business Wire05-05-2025
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Friday, May 2, 2025, PMI U.S. hosted experts from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, the Rocky Mountain Veterans Advocacy Project in Colorado and the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. Panelists shared their practice experience, case studies and policy recommendations to help address common challenges that military families face.
With support from PMI U.S. funding, lawyers and law students from the clinics offer individualized guidance to veterans on navigating complex issues, such as completing Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefit applications and accessing resources like mental health services.
Case studies covered:
How insights from an individual case in Florida led to new national policies, practices and legislative proposals.
Expanding outreach to Navajo Nation veterans in Colorado and improving access to benefits through legal and mental health evaluations.
Increasing access and legal assistance for Arizona veterans in rural and Tribal areas.
PMI U.S. contributions in 2024 and 2025 will provide nearly $1 million in funding to veterans' advocacy law clinics to help veterans and their families access the benefits they've earned.
About PMI U.S.
Philip Morris International Inc. is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, and its U.S. affiliates (collectively, 'PMI U.S.') employ more than 2,500 people. PMI U.S. is on a mission to improve public health by providing the 45 million nicotine consumers in the U.S. — 30 million of which still smoke traditional cigarettes — with better alternatives. Since 2008, PMI has invested more than $14 billion globally to develop and commercialize FDA-authorized smoke-free products for legal-age nicotine consumers. PMI U.S. operates smoke-free product manufacturing facilities, including Swedish Match North America's Owensboro, Kentucky plant that makes ZYN nicotine pouches and Triaga's facility in Wilson, North Carolina, that produces HEETS as part of the IQOS heated tobacco system. Swedish Match North America has a regional office in Richmond, Virginia.
U.S. marketing practices support 21+ access only
PMI U.S. is committed to responsible marketing practices focused on limiting access to adults 21 years of age and older. PMI U.S. does not use social media influencers in the U.S. or people under the age of 35 — or who appear to be under the age of 35 — in marketing materials. PMI U.S. also employs independent age-verification systems, such as Double Verify, to direct digital advertising to those over 21, and owned digital platforms are age-gated at the point of access and restricted to current nicotine consumers who are 21+. Swedish Match North America is a Manufacturer Advisory Council member of the We Card Program, a national nonprofit serving retailers of age-restricted products. PMI is also a founding board member and investor in TruAge®, a free retail technology that provides stores with a more accurate method of age verification, including the ability to better detect fake IDs, to ensure access is limited to those 21+.
U.S. mission to improve public health through smoke-free products
Because adult nicotine consumer preferences differ, PMI U.S. is working to offer a range of smoke-free options for adults 21+. Since 2008, PMI has invested over $14 billion to develop, scientifically substantiate and commercialize innovative smoke-free products. In 2022, PMI acquired Swedish Match — a leader in oral nicotine delivery — creating a global smoke-free champion led by the ZYN and IQOS brands.
IQOS is authorized by the FDA as a modified risk tobacco product, meaning the FDA has found it appropriate for the promotion of public health. Although IQOS heatsticks are not risk-free and contain nicotine, which is addictive, studies show that because the device heats tobacco instead of burning it, it significantly reduces the production of and exposure to harmful chemicals compared to conventional cigarettes for adults who smoke and who switch to IQOS completely.
In 2025, the FDA authorized all 20 Swedish Match ZYN nicotine pouch products currently sold in the U.S., making ZYN the only FDA-authorized nicotine pouch on the market to help adults who use cigarettes or traditional tobacco products completely switch. The FDA has authorized Swedish Match's General snus as a modified risk tobacco product. Currently, PMI U.S. holds more than 80 percent of modified risk tobacco product authorizations and more than 45 percent of premarket tobacco product authorizations.
Commitment to corporate social responsibility
PMI U.S. has contributed approximately $25 million to charitable causes since 2022, amplifying the good work of organizations already active within communities through both financial contributions and volunteering. PMI U.S.'s philanthropy efforts include supporting military veterans and military spouses, disaster prevention and relief and grassroots economic development. PMI U.S. helped form United to Safeguard America from Illegal Trade, a coalition of nearly 100 national and state brand enforcement experts, law enforcement agencies, academics and leading business organizations working to combat illegal trade. USA-IT has trained more than 36,000 law enforcement officials.
For more information, please visit www.pmi.com/us/ and www.pmiscience.com. 'PMI' refers to the Philip Morris International family of companies. 'PMI U.S.', 'we', 'our', and 'us' refer to PMI's U.S. businesses.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Vinay Prasad Is a Bernie Sanders Acolyte in MAHA Drag
Vinay Prasad Is a Bernie Sanders Acolyte in MAHA Drag

Wall Street Journal

time16 minutes ago

  • Wall Street Journal

Vinay Prasad Is a Bernie Sanders Acolyte in MAHA Drag

Meet Vinay Prasad, a young disciple of Bernie Sanders who ranks as one of the most powerful officials in the federal government. He determines whether patients get access to many life-saving medicines. Or not. Think of him as a one-man death panel. Dr. Prasad was named by Marty Makary, the Food and Drug Administration commissioner, as head of the agency's biologics division in May, and last month as its chief medical and scientific officer. More on why he was tapped to these posts later. But it isn't an exaggeration to say that Dr. Prasad wields more power than Anthony Fauci ever did at the National Institutes of Health.

Ice Cream Recalled Nationwide As Warning Issued Over Products
Ice Cream Recalled Nationwide As Warning Issued Over Products

Miami Herald

time3 hours ago

  • Miami Herald

Ice Cream Recalled Nationwide As Warning Issued Over Products

Tropicale Foods, based in Ontario, California, announced on Friday a voluntary recall of select Helados Mexico and La Michoacana ice cream products. The decision followed a label audit which revealed that although the products list "cream," they do not explicitly declare "milk"—that could endanger those allergic to milk. Newsweek contacted the company for comment on Sunday via email outside of usual working hours. Milk is a major allergen under federal labeling laws, and its accidental presence in products poses a risk to consumers with allergies or severe sensitivities. Undeclared ingredients can trigger life-threatening reactions, making accurate labeling a critical public health requirement. The company announcement, published on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s website on Saturday, states: "Tropicale Foods of Ontario, CA is recalling certain Helados Mexico and La Michoacana products with specific best by dates, as detailed below because these products contain undeclared milk. "Though these products include 'cream' in the product ingredient lists, the common name 'milk' is not declared. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products." Affected items include single-flavor offerings (such as Coconut, Strawberry, Bubble Gum, Cookies and Cream, Mango), as well as multi-packs (6‑pack, 12‑pack, 16‑pack varieties). The recalled products are as follows: Photos of the affected products are available on the FDA website. The recall covers a wide range of "best by" dates from May 2026 through July 2027. Distribution spanned retail locations nationwide across the U.S. As of the FDA announcement, one consumer illness has been reported. Consumers with affected items who are allergic or sensitive to milk are advised not to consume the products and to properly dispose of them. Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) states on its website: "When a person with a milk allergy is exposed to milk, proteins in the milk bind to specific antibodies made by the person's immune system. This triggers the person's immune defenses, leading to reaction symptoms that can be mild or very severe." Consumers who have the affected product should dispose of and not consume this product if allergic or sensitive to milk, and consult medical advice if symptoms arise. Anyone with queries may contact the company at 909-563-3090 between 8 am and 5 pm Pacific, Monday to Friday. The FDA will continue oversight and monitor any additional consumer reports or updates. Related Articles Is the FDA Doing Enough About Food Additives?Nationwide Ritz Cracker Recall Update as FDA Issues Risk WarningCanned Fruit Recall Sparks Nationwide Warning to CustomersFDA Issues Highest Risk Warning for Tofu Recall 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

Coke with cane sugar may not be that big of a MAHA victory
Coke with cane sugar may not be that big of a MAHA victory

The Hill

time5 hours ago

  • The Hill

Coke with cane sugar may not be that big of a MAHA victory

Coca-Cola is going to offer a cane sugar version of its signature beverage, rather than one sweetened with corn syrup. Major segments of the food industry, including General Mills and Heinz, have pledged to remove certain colored dyes from their products. The fast-food chain Steak 'n Shake is making french fries in beef tallow rather than vegetable oil. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has claimed them all as significant victories for his 'make America healthy again' (MAHA) movement as part of its quest to reform the U.S. food supply. 'Froot Loops is finally following its nose — toward common sense,' Kennedy said on social platform X after cereal-maker WK Kellogg Co. agreed to remove synthetic dyes from its cereal by 2027. 'I urge more companies to step up and join the movement to Make America Healthy Again.' But nutrition and food policy experts say the moves are a far cry from actually making America healthier. While they praised the administration and MAHA for drawing attention to what they said is a broken food system, the victories touted thus far have been largely symbolic and rely on the goodwill of an industry that is eager to appear helpful to avoid strict government regulation. 'I think if we're really curious about improving public health, some of the small health initiatives, like … replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar, are really not where the administration should be channeling their efforts and leveraging the power that they do have,' said Priya Fielding-Singh, director of policy and programs at the George Washington University Global Food Institute. 'I think they should be focusing their efforts on initiatives that actually address the root of the problem, which is essentially a food system that promotes excess sugar, salt and fat,' Fielding-Singh said. Health officials and GOP lawmakers have taken to conservative media in recent weeks to tout the commitments from food and beverage companies to remove synthetic dyes. According to the HHS, nearly 35 percent of the industry has made such a commitment. But there's been no force behind the companies' actions, which experts said is an issue. 'Simply switching from synthetic to natural colors will not make these products less likely to cause obesity,' said Jerold Mande, a former senior official during three administrations at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Agriculture and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, said Kennedy could make a major statement by banning all colors and dyes. It wouldn't directly make Americans healthy, but it would go a long way toward making ultra-processed food look less appealing. 'All this voluntary stuff only goes so far. It really does minimal impact,' Popkin said. 'Unless he goes to the FDA and has the FDA change a regulation … there's nothing.' Kennedy has also singled out the use of high-fructose corn syrup as a major contributor to diabetes and obesity. He has previously called it 'poison,' an epithet he repeated in late April when talking about sugar. When Steak 'n Shake said earlier this month it was going to sell Coca-Cola with real cane sugar, Kennedy praised the move. 'MAHA is winning,' Kennedy posted on X. But experts said there's no substantial difference in the benefits of using cane sugar as a substitute for high-fructose corn syrup. 'At the end of the day, a Coke is still a can of Coke. It's not a fruit or a vegetable, right? And so if you're not shifting consumption away from these higher calorie, lower nutrient processed foods, toward nutrient dense, health promoting foods, then you're not actually going to be shifting the health of Americans in the right direction,' Fielding-Singh said. But if Kennedy thinks sugar is poison, 'they're both sugar and would both be poison, in his words,' said Mande, who is now CEO of Nourish Science. Health officials argue industry cooperation is key to the MAHA agenda. 'Working with industry is the best place to start. And we believe in industry to do the right thing when called upon,' Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz wrote in a joint op-ed in The Wall Street Journal. 'Our agencies are in a strong position to show Americans which companies are doing the right thing when it comes to popular reforms. By the time we're done, we will have built new relationships and be better positioned to hold them accountable,' Makary and Oz wrote. Yet there is plenty the agency can, and should do, that industry has pushed back against. Aviva Musicus, science director of the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, said MAHA is wasting its political capital. 'It's striking that we haven't seen the administration use policy to improve the food system. It's solely relying on voluntary industry commitments that we've seen repeatedly fail in the past,' Musicus said. 'In pushing the food industry to change, Trump and RFK Jr. have a chance to live up to their promises to fight chronic disease. Coca-Cola is at the table, but they're wasting the opportunity to actually improve health. The administration should focus on less sugar, not different sugar,' Musicus added. Popkin said he would like to see warning labels on ultra-processed foods high in sodium, added sugar and saturated fat. Kennedy 'hasn't tackled ultra-processed food yet. That'll be where he could make an impact on health in the U.S. and all the non-communicable diseases, including obesity. But he hasn't gone there yet,' Popkin said. The coming months will reveal more on the MAHA movement's plans to change how Americans eat. New dietary guidelines will be released 'in the next several months,' Kennedy said recently. In addition, a second MAHA report focused on policy recommendations is expected in August. 'We have to be considering that there could be real potential down the road,' Popkin said. 'But [there's been] nothing yet. That document will tell us if there ever be.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store