FDA threatens walnut processor for making legitimate health claims
March 15, 2010
by: Ethan Huff, citizen journalist
(NaturalNews) With hundreds of thousands of people dying every year from the side effects of pharmaceutical drugs, one would imagine that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would be out in full force pulling these drugs from the market, right? Actually, the agency has recently been spending its time targeting a walnut manufacturer for making legitimate, scientifically-proven health claims about walnuts on its packaging.
Such behavior is nothing new for the rogue agency that spends all of its time ridding the market of natural products, legitimate health claims on food, and other important products and information that actually help people become healthy rather than remain disease-stricken pharmaceutical drug addicts. In the case of walnuts, though, the vast amount of studies concerning the numerous benefits of the nut makes the FDA's mission to stop all purveyance of this information utterly incomprehensible.
Walnuts are a rich source of alpha-linolenic acid, a plant form of the omega-3 fatty acid that has been scientifically proven to help protect the heart and lower cholesterol. Countless studies have shown that walnuts not only help to reduce bad cholesterol but also actually work to raise good cholesterol, all while reducing inflammation and decreasing blood pressure.
Walnuts are also rich in fiber and antioxidants. AARP Magazine ranked walnuts in its top ten list of the most powerful disease-fighting foods. Some Asian cultures actually refer to walnuts as "brain food", and it is commonly understood that eating a handful of walnuts improves brain function.
A Yale University study also found that walnuts can significantly improve cardiovascular health, particularly in people with type-2 diabetes. They are a dense source of vitamins and minerals and are high in protein, making them a great, healthy snack.
The FDA does not care about the truth, though. The agency deems any health claim made in reference to food a violation of the rules it has decreed. The FDA only allows health claims to be made for drugs that have gone through its multi-million dollar approval process. The agency has stated that simply making a health claim for a food or nutrient deems that food or nutrient an unapproved drug that must either be removed from the market or relabeled.
The FDA is an out-of-control, tyrannical agency that does the very opposite of what it was designed to do. It is lunacy for anyone to suggest that the agency needs even more power to do its job. The FDA has demonstrated itself to be a corrupt and utterly shameful mob of power-hungry, drug-pushing criminals. The American people need to disband this cabal of crooks and rebuild a real regulatory agency that protects the people from dangerous pharmaceutical drugs and that protects free speech and the free flow of health information.
Sources:
Diamond Foods Told To Change Labels - KCRA.com
Walnuts' health benefits something to love - The Daily Herald