TRANS-FAT BATTLE COULD EVOLVE LIKE NON-SMOKING, LEAD PAINT

REPORTING EASES FOR DEODORIZER DISTILLATES

WHAT'S NEW @ COTTONSEED.COM

COTTONSEED PRODUCTS IN THE NEWS

MONTHLY SUMMARY OF US COTTONSEED CRUSHINGS & STOCKS

MOVING?

TRANS-FAT BATTLE COULD EVOLVE LIKE NON-SMOKING, LEAD PAINT - The New York City Board of Health voted unanimously on September 26 to move forward with plans to prohibit the city’s 20,000 restaurants from serving food that contains more than a minute amount of artificial trans-fats, the chemically modified ingredients considered by doctors and nutritionists to increase the risk of heart disease. The board, which is authorized to adopt the plan without the consent of any other agency, did not take that step yesterday, but it set in motion a period for written public comments, leading up a public hearing on Oct. 30 and a final vote in December. The initiative appeared to ensure that the city would eventually take some formal action against artificial trans-fats. If approved, the proposal voted on by the Board of Health would make New York the first large city in the country to strictly limit such fats in restaurants. Chicago is considering a similar prohibition affecting restaurants with less than $20 million in annual sales. The New York prohibition would affect the city’s entire restaurant industry, by far the nation’s largest, from McDonald’s to fashionable bistros to street corner takeouts across the five boroughs. The city would set a limit of a half-gram of artificial trans-fats per serving of any menu item, sharply reducing most customers’ intake. Officials said that the typical American diet now contains 5.8 grams of trans fats per day, and that a single five-ounce serving of French fries at many restaurants contained 8 grams of trans-fats. Members of the Board of Health, all mayoral appointees, expressed vigorous support for the proposal, which was drafted by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The board members said that the initiative could set an example for the nation, and that New York City should play a leading role because of its high rate of heart disease and because New Yorkers consume more restaurant meals and takeout food than most Americans. The proposal met immediate resistance among restaurant owners, who said banning trans-fats would raise their costs and change the taste of some items. If the measure is adopted in December, health officials said, the restrictions would be phased in. Restaurants would be given until July to eliminate oils, margarines and shortening from the recipes that contain more than a half-gram of trans-fat per serving. They would also have until July 2008 to remove all menu items that exceed the new limit, including bread, cakes, chips and salad dressing. The only exclusions from the restrictions would be packaged food items, like candy, that remain in the manufacturers’ original packaging when served, as well as naturally occurring trans fats, which are found in some meats and dairy products. Health officials said that the regulations would be enforced by restaurant inspectors, who would examine kitchens for products with trans fat, but that there would be no attempt to test prepared foods. The New York City proposal comes at a time when companies in the packaged food industry, under pressure from health advocates, have reduced the use of trans fats. A recent ruling by the federal Food and Drug Administration requires all food companies to include trans fat levels in labeling information. Several restaurant chains, including Wendy’s, Starbucks and Subway, have announced efforts to eliminate or sharply reduce trans fats. McDonald’s, which has not, “will closely examine the board’s proposal,” said Walt Riker, a company spokesman. For the Board of Health, the trans fat plan is the latest in a series of regulations that have placed New York City in the forefront of regulating behavior and products’ content in order to benefit public health. Three years ago, the city banned smoking in restaurants, a measure angrily protested by some restaurant owners, but it led to similar bans in several other cities and much of the country. Health officials have also compared the restrictions on trans fats to the city’s 1960 prohibition on the use of lead paint, years before it was banned in most of the country. (Source: NY Times, September 27, 2006)

REPORTING EASES FOR DEODORIZER DISTILLATES - In a Federal Register notice dated September 29, 2006, EPA withdrew certain chemical substances that would be subject to reporting requirements under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) section 8(a) and 8(d), including CAS No. 68476-80-2, Fats and glyceridic oils, vegetable, deodorizer distillates. EPA noted that the substances involved in this final rule are being withdrawn “for good cause” as specified in 40 CFR 712.30 (c) and 40 CFR 716.105 (c), and consequently, the listed substances will not be subject to the reporting requirements imposed by the TSCA rules published on August 16, 2006. On August 16, 2006, EPA published a final PAIR rule which requires manufacturers (including importers) of certain chemical substances to submit a one-time report on general production/importation volume, end use, and exposure-related information to EPA. Also on August 16, 2006, EPA published a final Health and Safety Data Reporting rule which requires manufacturers (including importers) of certain chemical substances to submit certain unpublished health and safety data to EPA. On September 15, 2006, EPA published a final rule that revised the effective date of the two rules published on August 16, 2006. The effect of this withdrawal is that the listed chemical substances will not be subject to the reporting requirements imposed by the final TSCA section 8(a) and 8(d) rules published on August 16, 2006, and the rule published on September 15, 2006, that changed the effective date for these two rules. In addition to accessing an electronic copy of this Federal Register document through the electronic docket at http://www.regulations.gov, you may access this “Federal Register” document electronically through the EPA Internet under the “Federal Register” listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr. Frequently updated electronic versions of 40 CFR parts 712 and 716 are available through the Government Printing Office’s pilot e-CFR site at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/ecfr. An Adobe Acrobat version of the notice is also available on the NCPA web site along with this Newsletter item.

WHAT'S NEW @ COTTONSEED.COM - Cottonseed crushings rebounded for the week ending October 1 to 51,263 tons from 29,119 tons the previous week and 39,115 tons two weeks ago. Year-to-date crushings total 386,595 tons for the first nine weeks of the 2006-07 season, 15% lower than the 454,149 ton level of last year and 3% lower than the 373,710 ton level of two seasons ago. Complete weekly crushings data is available in the Statistics section of the web site…..Cottonseed meal yields in the eastern US are averaging just over 900 lbs/ton of seed crushed, based on reports from NCPA member mills. Regional meal and seed data are compiled monthly for the last 10 years and are also available in the Statistics section…..NPCA Consultant Ricardo Silva has published reports of potential cottonseed feed product customers in Colombia, Dominican Republic, Panama and Puerto Rico in the Mexico Consultant Reports section. A summary of potential feed ingredient sales to each country are included in his report. Reports for Costa Rica, Honduras and El Salvador will be available soon.

COTTONSEED PRODUCTS IN THE NEWS - From the San Luis Obispo Tribune, “... the Scotts are organic gardeners, committed to practices that nurture both the plants and the earth. They do not use petroleum products, instead choosing compost, mulch and organic fertilizers. One of their favorites, cottonseed meal, is a low-release organic source of nitrogen for acid-loving plants.” The Mobile (AL) Register points to this reliable cure for an ailment common to azaleas, known as phomopsis twig blight, that is the result of heat and drought stresses. It's usually easy to “cure” phomopsis, they point out, simply by doing good pruning. Cut the dead limbs back as low as possible on the trunk in the fall. After pruning, simply fertilize with cottonseed meal and water regularly, and by the end of the summer, it should be chest high.

MONTHLY SUMMARY OF US COTTONSEED CRUSHINGS & STOCKS

MOVING? - Please send all change of address information to: National Cottonseed Products Association, 104 Timber Creek Drive, Suite 200, Cordova, TN  38018, or email to info@cottonseed.com.

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October 5, 2006