American Heart Association statement on Cook County's sweetened drink tax

“The American Heart Association applauds today’s ruling that will allow Cook County’s sweetened drink tax to finally take effect. The beverage industry’s support of a last-minute implementation delay led to layoffs of hundreds of critical public servants and significant budget uncertainty for Cook County’s leaders. We are pleased that Cook County’s more than five million residents are poised to now reap the tax’s many positive health and economic benefits. The evidence could not be clearer: sugary drink taxes work. From Philadelphia to Berkeley to Mexico, these taxes have produced a litany of positive outcomes—lower consumption of sugary drinks, higher consumption of water, additional revenue for a wide variety of health and education initiatives—without hurting local businesses or customer sales. The revenue generated by Cook County’s tax will fund critical public health and safety priorities, and the health impact will be substantial. Harvard University researchers project that Cook County’s tax will reduce diabetes rates by seven percent, result in $25.80 in health care cost savings for every $1 invested, and prevent 37,000 cases of obesity over a ten-year period. Sugary drinks are the top source of added sugars for millions of people, increasing the risk for serious chronic diseases and higher health care costs. With each sugary drink tax that takes effect, communities across America are helping their residents lead healthy lives and reach their full potential. We urge more communities to follow Cook County’s example.”

DeLauro Calls on FDA to Do Its Job and Halt Deadly Salmonella Outbreak

WASHINGTON, DC — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today released the following statement regarding the Food and Drug Administration's active investigation into a multistate outbreak of Salmonella in papayas. Since the outbreak began in May, 46 people in 12 states have been sickened, 12 people have been hospitalized, and 1 person has died. “This deadly Salmonella outbreak linked to papayas is the latest example of deficiencies in our food safety system. It is outrageous that despite months of illnesses, and even the loss of life, we still do not know the direct source of the Salmonella outbreak. I strongly urge the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to do everything within its power to quickly identify the source, including issuing an import alert on suspected farms and halting the importation of papayas until the FDA and CDC can complete their investigations into the outbreak. American consumers need to trust that the food in their grocery stores are safe,” said DeLauro At this time, traceback investigations have identified Caribeña brand papayas from Mexico distributed by Grande Produce LLC as one brand linked to the outbreak. Grande Produce issued a limited voluntary recall for Caribeña brand Maradol papayas distributed between July 10 and July 19, 2017 on July 26, 2017. The FDA has not issued any “Import Alerts” for the suspected farms. DeLauro is a senior member on the subcommittee responsible for funding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is overseeing the investigation of papayas.