Baking & Snack - June 2005 - 12

NEWS FRONT
Arizona schools ban 'junk' food
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano signed into law a
ban on the sale of "junk" food in the state's elementary, middle and junior high schools.
Effective in 2006, the law addresses
candy, soft drinks and other sugary or
high-fat snacks. Sales of sweets before
or after school hours such as at athletic
events will not be affected. The bill was
supported by health groups and the state school
superintendent, all reasoning that it is a way to fight obesity and promote
good nutrition. Many critics, however, see it as an intrusion on school districts' authority;
as a result, high schools were exempted from the ban.

AACC seeks public views
AACC International's Glycemic (Net) Definition Task Force is soliciting public input
on proposed definitions for available (net)
carbohydrates, glycemic carbohydrates and
glycemic response. To post
comments, visit the St. Paul,
MN-based group's Web
site at www.aaccnet.org/
webboard/public/.
Members of academia, industry and government make up the task force, which has
developed the following draft definitions:
* Available (net) carbohydrate can be
absorbed as monosaccharides and metabolized by the body.
* Glycemic carbohydrate, expressed as
glycemic glucose equivalents, is the portion
of available carbohydrate that elicits a blood
glucose response.

* Glycemic response is the change in the
blood glucose concentration induced by
ingested food.
Public feedback will help create measurable definitions, which
will allow the task force
to determine available
and glycemic carbohydrate
in grams per serving of food or
100 g of food. The definitions also will help
consumers better understand how a given
food will affect blood sugar levels.
The Food and Drug Administration has
yet to publish a proposed rule for carbohydrate nutrient claims. FDA has placed that
task on its "A list" goals and has asked its
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition to complete 90% of those goals by the
end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

Soy protein can reduce breast cancer risk
A study published in the April issue of The
International Journal of Cancer Prevention
stated that regular consumption of soy protein in women could reduce breast cancer
risk by as much as 22%.
The study, authored by Lin Yan, Ph.D.,
director of cancer research for The Solae
Company, St. Louis, MO, and Edward
Spitznagel, Ph.D., professor of mathematics at Washington University, St. Louis, is
a meta-analysis of the 12 epidemiological
studies published to date that relate to soy
consumption and breast cancer in women.
It showed a reduction in breast cancer

14 / BAKING & SNACK / June 2005

risk in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women and demonstrated
that adolescent soy intake may be related
to a lower risk of developing breast cancer
later in life.
This meta-analysis supports the body of
scientific evidence contained in the petition
The Solae Company filed with the Food
and Drug Administration for a qualified
health claim linking the consumption of
soy protein-containing food and beverages
to a reduced risk of certain types of cancer.
FDA is expected to announce a decision in
late spring.

BEMA offers
seminar scholorships
For participants in "Baking 101," American
Institute of Baking's new 2-day seminar
for support personnel, BEMA, the baking
industry suppliers organization, is presenting $125 scholarships and lowering the
required tuition from $420 to
$295. The
seminar is
i n te n d e d
to supply
accounting, purchasing, sales, maintenance and all
other support personnel with baking information, in an effort to boost confidence and
communication skills.
Seminar topics will include flour quality, functions of ingredients, production
formulations, bread and roll production
checkpoints, product evaluations and a
closing session for questions from seminar
participants. The course will be taught by
AIB staff members Steve Sollner and Kirk
O'Donnell, Ph.D., and will be offered in
four locations: Los Angeles, CA, May 20-21;
Elizabeth, NJ, June 17-18; Chicago, IL, Aug.
19-20; and Atlanta, GA, Oct. 28-29.

IFT presents
congressional award
The Institute of Food Technologists,
Chicago, IL, recognized the importance
of focused and intentional efforts for the
advancement of food science and technology by awarding the 2005 Congressional
Support for Science Award to
Sen. Christopher (Kit) Bond
of Missouri, and Rep. Collin
Peterson of Minnesota.
The award is presented annually by IFT to two members of
Congress as an acknowledgment for outstanding contributions to science-based food policies during the previous year. It acknowledges
distinguished service by a legislator, policymaker or advocate for advancing the role of
science and technology in food and agricultural policies. Criteria also considered include
sustained attention to the scientific integrity of
food and nutrition or health issues.

http://www.aaccnet.org/

Baking & Snack - June 2005

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