The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released a list of 16 dog food brands that may be linked to greater risk of heart failure in dogs. This report is the latest step in an ongoing investigation into the effects of "grain free" foods on canine heart health.
The brands named were Acana, Zignature, Taste of the Wild, 4Health, Earthborn Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Nature's Domain, Fromm, Merrick, California Natural, Natural Balance, Orijen, Nature's Variety, NutriSource, Nutro and Rachael Ray Nutrish.
While the agency has issued an advisory to pet owners, they state that there is no conclusive link between these "boutique" pet foods and heart disease, and that owners should consult their veterinarians on their pets' diets.
Some veterinarians have issued more urgent warnings. Julie Churchill, professor of veterinary nutrition and associate medical director of the University of Minnesota's School of Veterinary Medicine and a board-certified DVM nutritionist, said she would advise pet owners to stop giving pets "grain free" foods immediately, according to the Mercury News.
Pet food manufacturers have pushed back against these reports. The Pet Food Institute, a pet food and treat-maker trade group, said that this was a "complex issue with many factors requiring scientific evaluation." Some manufacturers named by the FDA in their advisory have stated that the warning is premature, and that only a tiny fraction of dogs that eat their foods develop heart disease.
CalSavers program to facilitate retirement savings for California employees
Californians with no employer-sponsored retirement plans now have an easier way to save through a new program called CalSavers.
As of July 1, some Californians will be able to contribute part of their paychecks to Roth IRAs via auto-deduction. Of course, anyone can open a Roth IRA without their employer's involvement, but according to an AARP study, workers are 15 times more likely to contribute to a retirement fund when it's facilitated by their employer and done as an automatic payroll deduction, such as with a 401(k). CalSavers will allow employees who don't have the option of participating in an employer-facilitated 401(k) to save for retirement in a similar way.
California companies with more than 100 employees must register with CalSavers and offer their employees access to the program by June 30, 2020. Companies with smaller numbers of employees must register in the following years.
Employees can choose to opt out of saving via the program, or do nothing and be auto-enrolled to contribute 5% of their income.
Boeing offers $100 million payout to families of 737 Max jet crashes
Boeing is offering $100 million to the families of the 346 people who died in two 737 Max passenger jet crashes earlier this year.
While full reports on the two crashes are still pending, Dennis Muilenburg, CEO of Boeing, has accepted the blame. Muilenburg acknowledged the Maneuvering Characteristic Augmentation System (MCAS), an automatically-activated system for stabilizing the planes, activated due to erroneous sensor data. This possibly faulty software code, along with allegations of insufficient pilot training, are suggested to be the cause of the crashes.
This payout is being called an "initial outreach" by Boeing. It is unusual for an airplane maker to voluntarily pay victims of a crash before a lawsuit; a sum of money would usually be paid after a lawsuit forced a payment for damages.
Take a look at more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.
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