Antidepressant Nation

Staff / Truthdig Jul 14, 2011 A serious conversation is under way in the United States on the subject of psychiatric drugs The debate consists of three fundamental issues: first, whether antidepressants actually treat depression; second, the vast, growing body of evidence that psychotropic medications (more). Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

You Don’t Get to Know the Calorie Count of Your Movie Popcorn

Staff / Truthdig Apr 2, 2011 Soon, Americans won't be able to hide from the sometimes dismaying nutritional readouts on menus at their favorite chain restaurants -- and even on some vending machines -- but they still can in the soothing, darkened space of their local movie theater. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Darrell Issa, Step Away From the Corporations

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Jan 5, 2011 When it comes to food safety, as with airline safety, mine safety, pick an industry: Regulations save lives. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Obama Signs Big, Pricey Food Bill

Staff / Truthdig Jan 5, 2011 The legislation that President Obama signed Tuesday represents the biggest revamp of the country's food regulation system in decades -- that is, if it gets past those congressional Republicans spoiling for a fight as they pledge to crack down on government spending this year. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Farm Animals Hog 80 Percent of U.S. Antibiotics

Staff / Truthdig Dec 28, 2010 The overuse of antibiotics can lead to drug-resistant superbugs, so it's cause for concern to the folks at Johns Hopkins' Center for a Livable Future that the vast majority of bug-killing drugs aren't even consumed by sick humans. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Congress Heads for Holiday Overtime

Staff / Truthdig Dec 21, 2010 Members of the House and Senate may be in for a longer week than they'd hoped for if they don't get some serious legislating done -- and fast. The height of the holiday season may be at hand, but it's also the lame-duck season, which could lead to last-ditch-effort time. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Senate Votes to Beef Up the FDA

Staff / Truthdig Dec 1, 2010 Here's one form of big government that even some Republicans on Capitol Hill can apparently embrace: On Tuesday, the Senate passed a bill designed to crack down on food regulation practices in the U.S. after recent batches of tainted foodstuffs were unleashed on the public. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

FDA: No More Caffeine Buzz in Alcoholic Drinks

Staff / Truthdig Nov 18, 2010 Fans of Four Loko alcoholic "energy drinks" are about to discover that their favored concoction, which blends the downer that is alcohol with the upper that is caffeine, is about to lose that speedy sensation, thanks to the vigilant work of the FDA. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Poison at the Tea Party

By Dan Becker and James Gerstenzang Oct 27, 2010 The tea partyers issue dire warnings of the threat posed by government, but their movement ignores the threat from corporate America: pollution, dangerous products and banking practices that brought us the worst economic crash since the Great Depression.In their zeal to live free from outside interference, the tea parties are shooting at the wrong target. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Food Safety Bill Stalls

Staff / Truthdig Sep 18, 2010 If you need yet another example of how Washington just doesn't quite work, a bill that aims to curb food contamination has stalled despite having broad bipartisan support, plus backing from President Obama and industry and consumer groups, and the fact that the House passed its version of the legislation more than a year ago. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Fishermen Test Troubled Gulf Waters

Staff / Truthdig Aug 17, 2010 Americans get half of their shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico, but that was before it was contaminated by 190 million gallons of oil and 2 million gallons of chemical dispersant. Shrimp season officially started Monday, but it will be some time before we know whether the ravaged Gulf waters -- and American appetites -- are up to it. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Five-Morning-After Pill?

Staff / Truthdig Jun 11, 2010 A European contraceptive that works as a five-day alternative to the "morning-after" pill may be coming to American shores, but a thorny debate surrounding the drug's chemical similarity to the RU-486 abortion pill raises some politically charged questions for the FDA. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )