Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study: Breast Cancer Diagnosis Linked To High Risk Of Second Cancers
CBS News: People With Breast Cancer More Likely To Develop Second Cancer Over Time, Study Finds
A new study finds that people with breast cancer are more likely to develop a second cancer over time. Researchers at the University of Cambridge analyzed data on more than 583,000 female and male breast cancer survivors and found females were at significantly higher risk of developing cancer in the unaffected breast as well as cancer of the uterus, ovary, and a type of leukemia. (Marshall, 4/25)
On the food industry —
Axios: Food Recalls Through FDA And USDA Reach Highest Level In 2023 Since 2020
Food recalls reached their highest level last year since before the pandemic, according to a new report released Thursday. Outbreaks linked to recalled food products sickened 1,100 people and killed six in 2023, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund report found. (Tyko, 4/25)
AP: USDA Tells Producers To Reduce Salmonella In Certain Frozen Chicken Products
Poultry producers will be required to bring salmonella bacteria in certain chicken products to very low levels to help prevent food poisoning under a final rule issued Friday by U.S. agriculture officials. When the regulation takes effect in 2025, salmonella will be considered an adulterant — a contaminant that can cause foodborne illness — when it is detected above certain levels in frozen breaded and stuffed raw chicken products. That would include things like frozen chicken cordon bleu and chicken Kiev dishes that appear to be fully cooked but are only heat-treated to set the batter or coating. (Aleccia, 4/26)
USA Today: School Lunch Nutrition: USDA To Limit Added Sugars For First Time
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday announced updated nutrition standards for school meals that will be gradually updated to include "less sugar and greater flexibility with menu planning" between Fall 2025 and Fall 2027. “The new standards build on the great progress that school meals have made already and address remaining challenges - including reducing sugar in school breakfasts," said USDA's Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Cindy Long in the news release. (Hauari, 4/25)
On marijuana, vapes, and cigarettes —
The Hill: Fetterman, Warren Lead Democrats In Urging DEA To ‘Swiftly’ Take Marijuana Off Schedule I
A coalition of Democrats called on the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to quickly remove marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), signaling impatience over the agency’s ongoing review of cannabis’s designation. The lawmakers were led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and John Fetterman (Pa.) and Reps. Barbara Lee (Calif.) and Earl Blumenauer (Ore.) in a letter addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. (Choi, 4/25)
Bloomberg: Illegal Vapes Rising, Altria Asks FDA For More Enforcement
Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc. is calling on the US Food and Drug Administration to do more to crack down on the illegal vape products that compete with its own authorized product, NJOY. “We believe the FDA’s enforcement approach is not of the scale or scope needed to bring about fundamental change in the marketplace,” Altria Chief Executive Officer Billy Gifford said on the company’s first-quarter earnings call, according to a transcript. He described the proliferation of e-cigarettes that haven’t been authorized by the agency as a “threat to public health.” (Kary, 4/25)
CBS News: Minneapolis City Council Passes Tobacco Ordinance That Sets $15 Minimum Price For Cigarettes
Smoking in Minneapolis is set to get more expensive thanks to a new ordinance passed by the City Council. ... The policy also bans price discounts and coupons for tobacco products, stops a sample loophole that allows indoor smoking and increases penalties for shops that violate city code. Council member LaTrisha Vetaw, who wrote the ordinance, said it will "protect youth and communities [of] color from tobacco industry targeting." (Bettin and Ali, 4/25)
