Labels

California is preparing to label new autos to show for the first time the vehicles' annual emissions of so-called greenhouse gases linked to global warming. The stickers, the first in the U.S., should be approved by the California Air Resources Board by June and should start appearing on 2009 model cars and light trucks, board spokesman Jerry Martin said. The board will hold a hearing next month on the labels.

Re "Top dairy company is sour on cloned-cow milk," Feb. 24 I was happy to read that the nation's largest milk producer listens to consumers, unlike the Food and Drug Administration, which marches to the tune of the industries it is supposed to be regulating. The point about this issue with cloned meat and milk (a point that The Times and other media seem to slide over) isn't whether the stuff is safe but that the industry wants to be able to sell the junk to us without identifying labels.

Re "Cloned beef: It's what's for dinner," March 4 This article presents the happy outcomes while minimizing the focus on the objections. For many, cloning one's foods is significantly different from such activities as stem cell research, which may be used to mitigate human suffering. Also, while the foods may be safe and identical, on a molecular or nutritional level, there is still a moral repugnance to this fare. Finally, the biggest objection may be that the government is willing to "stuff this down our throats" whether we approve or not. I am troubled by the Food and Drug Administration's position that there would be no need to label the cloned meats as such, depriving the marketplace of making a choice based on its own moral or ethical codes and of the opportunity to vote with its pocketbook.

Under pressure from the federal government, drug makers are revising the labels on Ambien, Lunesta and other popular sleep aids to warn that the pills may result in driving, eating and even having sex while sleeping, health officials said. The manufacturers of 13 medications are preparing information bulletins for users that will highlight the possibility of bizarre nighttime side effects.

FOR the nutritionally conscious food shopper, a stroll down the supermarket aisle has become the visual equivalent of a frenetic day at the carnival: With each visit, new nutritional claims leap from boxes and packaging to hawk their products' healthful attributes, a cacophony of urgent and eye-catching messages. "Sensible Solution!" cry the packages of cookies, lunch meats and mac 'n' cheese. "Approved bestlife!" calls the reduced-fat mayonnaise. "3-a-Day!" sings the tub of yogurt.

EVER wonder what goes into a bottle of wine? The story winemakers love to tell on the bottle label is one of a mystical alchemy of climate, soils, ancient practices and long traditions. Wine labels tend to focus on romance; the small amount of government-mandated information includes the percentage of alcohol, a warning against consuming wine when pregnant or driving, and a disclosure of sulfites.

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the strongest possible warning for antidepressants to alert doctors and patients that the drugs could increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in adults 18 to 24. The so-called black box warning follows a similar labeling change approved in 2004 for children and adolescents.

California's Napa Valley is making a name for itself in Europe with officials there declaring that wine bottles can't say "Napa" on the label if the grapes come from someplace else. The European Union's decision to grant Napa Valley what is known as "geographic indicator" status, reached this year and scheduled to be formally announced in San Francisco today, was hailed by vintners as a breakthrough.

Cadbury Schweppes was sued by a consumer and accused of falsely labeling its Snapple juice drinks as "all natural." Hemant Mehta sued London-based Cadbury in New York federal court, asking to represent more than 1,000 people in a class-action suit and seeking damages of at least $100 million. The company markets Snapple drinks using slogans such as "made from the best stuff on Earth" when they contain high-fructose corn syrup and other "non natural" products, according to the complaint.

The House Agriculture Committee voted Thursday night to require country-of-origin labels on meats beginning next year, striking a compromise as reports of tainted food from China raise consumer awareness about the safety of imported food. After days of negotiations, the committee agreed on a plan to allow the mandatory labels but soften penalties and burdensome record-keeping requirements that had concerned many food retailers and meatpackers who opposed the legislation.