Food and Drug Administration

Artificial sweeteners are everywhere, but the jury is still out on whether these chemicals are harmless. Also called non-nutritive sweeteners, these can be synthetic – such as saccharin and aspartame – or naturally derived, such as steviol, which comes from the Stevia plant. To date, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved six types of […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration will try to harness the sounds, style and attitudes of hip-hop into a multi-million dollar anti-smoking campaign to discourage young African Americans, Hispanics and other groups from using tobacco. The federal agency says it will spend $128 million on advertising, events and local outreach as part of […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration is warning against eating Uncle Ben’s rice products served at schools, restaurants, hospitals and other food service institutions after children in three states had skin reactions and other symptoms that were linked to the rice. Mars Foodservices of Rancho Dominguez, Calif., is recalling 5- and 25-pound bags […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration says there’s no reason to believe that the coloring added to sodas is unsafe. But the agency is taking another look just to make sure. The agency’s announcement comes in response to a study by Consumer Reports that shows 12 brands of soda have varying levels of […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration is lifting severe safety restrictions on the former blockbuster diabetes pill Avandia, citing recent data suggesting that the much-debated medication does not increase the risk of heart attack. The repeal means patients will no longer have to enroll in a special registry to be eligible to receive […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Heart-clogging trans fats have been slowly disappearing from grocery aisles and restaurant menus in the last decade. Now, the Food and Drug Administration is finishing the job. The FDA announced Thursday it will require the food industry to gradually phase out artificial trans fats, saying they are a threat to people’s health. […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration is warning patients with diabetes about a recall of up to 62 million glucose test strips used to measure blood sugar levels that can show incorrect, abnormally high blood sugar readings. Nova Diabetes Care announced the recall Friday. An incorrect reading could potentially lead to dangerous medication […]

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Food and Drug Administration review concludes that menthol cigarettes likely pose a greater public health risk than regular cigarettes but does not make a recommendation on whether to limit or ban the minty smokes — one of the few growth sectors of the shrinking cigarette business. The federal agency released […]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The young man stumbled into the emergency room late one night after a house party, saying his heart wouldn’t stop pounding and he could barely breathe after downing liquor mixed with energy drinks. Emergency physician Steve Sun soon found the patient was so dehydrated he was going into kidney failure — one […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health authorities are investigating reports of 13 deaths that are possibly linked to so-called energy shots. They are cautioning consumers to talk to their doctors before they take them or other energy drinks. The Food and Drug Administration has received 92 reports over four years that cite illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths after […]