Latest news with #RobertKennedyJr.
Calgary Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Opinion: Feathers ruffled over expensive standoff on ostrich farm
A comic melodrama has been unfolding in the backwoods of the B.C. Okanagan. It involves all the usual theatre elements — a heroic farmer against an evil government oppressor, valiant supporters willing to lay down their lives to stop enforcers from carrying out their despicable intentions and, of course, a white knight from faraway coming to the rescue. Article content What makes it somewhat preposterous is that this spectacle involves the fate of 400 ostriches. This has entangled the bedraggled taxpayer, who is footing the bill to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars in government legal costs, numerous federal bureaucrats' time and local law enforcement attention. Article content Article content Article content The issue began when the ostriches contracted the H5N1 avian flu virus, and 69 were euthanized by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which wanted the remaining flock also culled. This is a standard procedure for controlling avian flu. That process has seen poultry euthanized by the hundreds of millions across North America. Article content Article content No one seems upset when all those unfortunate chickens are terminated, most of whom may not have had avian flu. However, chickens are small, unassuming creatures that have been part of the food supply for millenniums. Six-foot ostriches are a lot more majestic than the lowly chicken. They also have long eyelashes and large brown eyes that make them rather striking to humans. Their large stature, speed, crankiness and strength also make them rather intimidating. Article content In the hope of saving their ostriches, the owners fought the CFIA destruction order through the courts, which has been moderately successful in delaying the inevitable. In a stroke of genius, they began to plead their case in the court of public opinion, also known as social media. Article content Article content That instigated empathetic protesters to block a possible surreptitious ostrich seizure by CFIA enforcers. As luck would have it, that extensive publicity caught the attention of the U.S. Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy Jr. and a celebrity by the name of Dr. Oz, who is also a U.S. government official appointed by President Donald Trump. Article content These alleged experts wanted to relocate the remaining ostriches to the U.S. for research into their levels of immunity and antibodies. Stranger things have been done, but it does come from the Trump government. Article content As expected, CFIA bureaucrats refused the official U.S. request and instead enforced their authority by slamming a $20,000 fine on the owners. The CFIA wants the doomed ostriches disposed of quickly, but there are problems. Article content Ostriches are big, strong and difficult to handle. Mass shooting would be messy, and burying them on-site would have horrendous PR consequences. The local landfill has stated they don't want 400 ostrich carcasses. I suspect the local RCMP would also rather not deal with a media-savvy horde of angry, outraged, protesting ostrich lovers.
Irish Examiner
22-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Coca-Cola confirms launch plans for cane sugar Coke in US
Coca-Cola on Tuesday laid out plans to launch a new product made with cane sugar in the US this year and beat estimates for quarterly results on resilient demand for zero-calorie drinks as well as higher prices. Food companies are seeking healthier substitutes as they respond to US health secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.'s 'Make America Healthy Again' campaign. Last week, US president Donald Trump said Coca-Cola had agreed to use real cane sugar in the US. Coca-Cola is looking to use "the whole toolkit available of sweetening options" where there is consumer demand, CEO James Quincey said on a post-earnings call. Rival PepsiCo, which topped quarterly earnings estimates last week, also said it would use natural ingredients if consumers wanted them. Coca-Cola already sells Coke made from cane sugar in other markets, including Mexico, and some US grocery stores carry glass bottles with cane sugar labeled "Mexican" Coke. While there are some slight differences between cane sugar and corn syrup as sweeteners, experts have said too much of either is not good for consumers. The switch to cane sugar will also drive up costs, including significant adjustments to supply chains, industry analysts have said. Coca-Cola reiterated that the hit to costs due to "global trade dynamics" remained manageable. About 61% of its revenue comes from overseas markets. The company has said it would look at affordable packaging options such as plastic bottles when Trump imposed a 25% duty on aluminum imports. As of June, tariffs on aluminum imports have hit 50%. The company's comparable revenue rose 2.5% to $12.62bn (€10.76bn) in the three months ended June 27, beating estimates of $12.54bn (€10.69bn), according to data compiled by LSEG. Volumes slipped 1% after rising 2% each in the previous two quarters, largely due to declines in key markets such as Mexico and India, as well as in its Coca-Cola brand in the US. North America volumes fell "due to the continued uncertainty and pressure on some socioeconomic segments of consumers", Quincey said. Demand for pricey sodas has remained choppy in recent quarters, especially in developed countries, with lower-income consumers turning more price-conscious. Quincey said a boycott-related hit to demand in the US and Mexico was now largely resolved. North America volumes fell in the first half of the year, mostly due to Hispanic consumers in the US and Mexico boycotting Coca-Cola's legacy brands after a viral video of the company laying off Latino staff and reporting them to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Reuters in February found no public evidence that the company had reported its migrant employees to ICE. Prices rose 6% overall in the second quarter, led by increases in some inflationary markets. "While (the US cane sugar product launch) made headlines, the real story is that growth was due more to increased price changes and not volumes sold," said Jay Woods, chief global strategist at investment banking firm Freedom Capital Markets. Annual comparable earnings per share is expected to be near the top end of its target of a 2% to 3% rise, helped by a weaker dollar. Coca-Cola Zero Sugar was a bright spot, with volumes jumping 14% on growth across all geographies. Excluding items, the company earned 87 cents per share, beating estimates of 83 cents. Reuters
USA Today
05-07-2025
- Health
- USA Today
That cucumber recall? You might want to check your fridge
Salmonella infects 1.35 million people every year. One expert said recalls are the last line of defense. Does it feel like there have been lots of cucumber recalls lately? You are not wrong. The Food and Drug Administration has classified 137 potential salmonella recall reports for food products containing cucumbers in 2025, more than in any other year with available data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked cucumbers to a current salmonella outbreak. Salmonella bacteria are a major cause of foodborne illness, infecting 1.35 million people and killing 420 people each year. Since 2012, the Food and Drug Administration has classified over 3,200 salmonella food reports, according to federal data. On average, a salmonella recall lasts nearly a year, a USA TODAY review of the FDA data found. Currently, there are 217 salmonella recall reports ongoing. You can explore the products here: The FDA has the authority to mandate a recall, but about 99% are voluntarily issued by the companies that make the products. After a recall is initiated, the agency classifies the health hazard presented by the product from Class I (a reasonable probability that the product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death) to Class III (the product is not likely to cause adverse health consequences). About 44% of food recall reports have been classified as Class I. On the other hand, 80% of salmonella food reports are classified as Class I. Most people get infected with salmonella by eating contaminated food like raw or undercooked meat, poultry, eggs, raw or unpasteurized milk and other dairy products, and produce. According to the CDC, 1 in 25 packages of chicken in the grocery store is contaminated with salmonella. Department of Human and Health Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. is among the many promoting raw milk, but experts caution against it. 'We have people whose families have had children and parents and others sickened after drinking raw milk,' said Sandra Eskin, CEO at the nonprofit Stop Foodborne Illness. 'It has salmonella in it, it can have E. coli, and it can have any number of pathogens. That's why they invented pasteurization.' Warmer weather can also create ideal conditions for the bacteria to grow, so it's recommended to refrigerate perishable foods. Other sources of salmonella include contaminated water and the handling of animals. Symptoms start within six hours to six days from the time of exposure and include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. Most people recover within 4 to 7 days without treatment, but some cases lead to hospitalization and death. Since the start of President Donald Trump's second term, there have been severe cuts and the federal health services workforce is expected to drop from 82,000 to 62,000, USA TODAY previously reported. Trump argued the cuts are a way to save taxpayers' money, but experts say allocating resources towards food safety is critical. An FDA spokesperson told USA TODAY in an email statement that the agency prioritizes food safety and is committed to working with all stakeholders. 'The layoffs relate to administrative staff positions in the FDA. There has been no impact to operational investigators conducting food safety inspections,' the FDA spokesperson said. Over a decade ago, when annual salmonella numbers were estimated to be lower, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that foodborne illness cost the country $3.7 billion per year, most of which was attributed to premature deaths. Eskin, who previously worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture overseeing food safety and inspections, said recalls are essential for public health. 'A recall is the last line of defense that you and I have to prevent getting sick,' Eskin said, 'if we're going to a restaurant, or more importantly, going to the grocery store.' Dr. Susan Kansagra, chief medical officer at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said in an email statement that federal funds support a wide range of state-level activities related to foodborne illness, like laboratory testing, case reporting, and guiding providers and the public on prevention and treatment. 'Loss of funding and staffing decreases our national capacity to do these activities and therefore quickly detect and respond to foodborne illness,' Kansagra said.
UPI
26-06-2025
- Health
- UPI
New CDC vaccine committee OKs Merck RSV shot for infants
June 26 (UPI) -- Merck's Enflonsia vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus won approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The advisory committee on Thursday voted 5-2 to approve the monoclonal antibody-based vaccine for infants younger than 8 months old to protect them during their first seasonal exposure to RSV. The recommended dosage is one shot of Enflonsia for infants who have not already obtained RSV protection via a vaccine their respective mothers might have received during their pregnancies. The vaccine's active ingredient is the monoclonal antibody clesrovimab, which Merck created but faced some opposition before gaining the committee's approval recommendation. Most babies are infected by RSV by the time they turn 2 years of age, which causes cold-like symptoms and affects breathing by restricting airway passages and the lungs, according to the CDC. About 58,000 children younger than age 5 in the United States annually are hospitalized due to RSV, which kills hundreds of them. Merck's Enflonsia vaccine is the second RSV monoclonal antibody that is recommended for approval to prevent RSV. The Food and Drug Administration in July 2023 approved Beyfortus to prevent RSV from causing lower respiratory tract disease in infants. Sanofi and AstraZeneca developed that vaccine. Thursday's vote was the first by the newly seated advisory committee after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. dismissed the prior advisory committee due to what he called conflicts of interest among its members. Kennedy fired the committee's 17 members and replaced them with eight others, including some who are regarded as skeptical of vaccines. Earlier this week, Louisiana's Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy criticized the new panel members, saying they lacked needed experience in microbiology, epidemiology and immunology.
New York Post
25-06-2025
- Health
- New York Post
RFK Jr. wants every American to use ‘wearable' health data-collecting technology
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. wants all Americans to use 'wearable' technology to track their health as part of his 'MAHA' agenda. The Kennedy-clan strongman revealed his agency's plan Tuesday for a massive push for Americans — who have an obesity rate of 40% — to use wearable data-collecting technology such as FitBits, Oura Rings, and Apple Watches, to promote healthier lifestyles. 'We're about to launch the biggest advertising campaign in HHS history to encourage Americans to use wearables,' Kennedy said in a House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing on Tuesday. Advertisement 3 Robert Kennedy Jr. said he wants all Americans to use 'wearable' technology to track their health as part of his 'MAHA' agenda. X / @SecKennedy 'It's a way people can take control over their own health. They can take responsibility. They can see, as you know, what food is doing to their glucose levels, their heart rates, and a number of other metrics, as they eat it,' the secretary said in the statement, which was also posted to X. 'We think that wearables are a key to the MAHA agenda of making America healthy again and my vision is that every American is wearing a wearable in four years,' he concluded. Advertisement Kennedy expressed the belief that with accurate and timely health data, Americans will exert better judgment in their diet and will even opt for more exercise. The Trump official has previously argued during his Senate confirmation hearing that obesity in the United States poses a national security risk affecting military readiness. 3 Close up of a hand touching a smartwatch with a health app on the screen, a gadget for a fitness active lifestyle. sitthiphong – President Trump's nominee for Surgeon General, Dr. Casey Means, is also an advocate for wearable Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) products. Advertisement In a blog post for her own CGM-producing company, Levels, Means argued that the 'small plastic discs' can 'reduce global metabolic suffering' and provide much-needed help to the '93.2 percent of people' in the US suffering from metabolic issues. Means' Levels technology attaches to the users' arms and sends accurate, second-by-second metabolic data to their smartphone. 3 A diabetic woman with a glucose sensor uses a mobile phone to measure her blood sugar level. Pixel-Shot – Advertisement Kennedy revealed last week that coffee giant Starbucks will make MAHA-inspired amendments to its menu — though the company already avoids artificial flavors, dyes, high fructose corn syrup, and other unhealthy additives. RFK Jr. took his first pound of flesh off of Americans earlier this year when he outlawed the use of artificial dyes in American food products.
