skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Proposed FDA Rule Change Could Affect Arkansas Soy Products

play audio
Play

Monday, November 27, 2017   

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Soybeans and soybean products are Arkansas's largest agricultural export, but a planned rule change by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could put a dent in future crops.

The FDA is proposing a new policy that would mean companies could no longer make claims that soy protein reduces the risk of heart disease or other health conditions. Bonnie Liebman, director of nutrition at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the claim, often made on items such as soy milk or meat replacements, is no longer supported by research.

"The science has changed over the last 10 years or so,” Liebman said. "Initially, it looked like soy protein had a special ability to lower the bad cholesterol in your blood, and later studies haven't borne that out. So, FDA is really just modernizing this regulation."

The FDA said soy products could use a qualified claim, stating that "supportive but not conclusive evidence" suggests that soy may reduce health risks. Industry groups, such as the American Soybean Association, strongly oppose the change, and say the new labeling could be confusing.

Arkansas farmers produced 150 million bushels of soybeans last year, worth $1.5 billion.

Liebman said the rule change doesn't mean that soy has no health benefits, but rather that its advantages for consumers are more indirect.

"Replacing red meat with soy foods would still help lower your cholesterol,” she said. “But that's because you are replacing the saturated fat in the meat with unsaturated fat in soy - not because the soy protein lowers cholesterol any more than other proteins."

She said she doesn't believe the rule change will have a significant effect on sales of soy-based products.

"I'm not sure that's the main reason people have moved toward non-dairy milks in the first place,” Liebman said. "I think people have other reasons for choosing soy milk, so I don't imagine it'll have a huge impact."

The proposed rule change, supported by the American Heart Association and other health advocates, is open for public comment through January 16. Soy product manufacturers can continue to use current labels until the FDA finalizes its decision.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …


More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social media platform X temporarily shutdown searches of "Taylor Swift" following the release of explicit deepfake images in early 2024. (Mdv Edwards/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021