Featured Reports

Hidden Risks

A checking account is the most basic and necessary financial product for American consumers. Nine out of 10 Americans have a checking account, making it the most widely utilized financial services product in the United States.

View an infographic presenting figures from the most important findings of the report.

Issues in the Regulation of Genetically Engineered Plants and Animals

A range of options exists to enhance the regulatory review process to address new challenges future products of agricultural biotechnology are likely to present, although opinions vary about the need for change, according to Issues in the Regulation of Genetically Engineered Plants and Animals, a report by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology.

IVF, Egg Donation, and Women’s Health

To date, more than one million babies have been born worldwide as a result of IVF and in 2003 U.S fertility clinics reported 112,872 IVF cycles. Although there has been considerable medical literature exploring the possible health effects of in vitro fertilization to babies born from this technology, the potential health risks to the women who undergo this process have been less extensively studied.

Legal and Regulatory Frameworks Governing the Growing, Packing and Handling of Fresh Produce in Countries Exporting to the U.S.

A number of major countries exporting fresh vegetables and fruit into the United States have modernized food-safety laws and regulations over the past two decades to emphasize preventive measures. The Produce Safety Project (PSP), supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, advocates for improvements in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) oversight of domestic and imported produce through the adoption of mandatory, enforceable safety standards. To provide policymakers with information on the legal and regulatory frameworks governing the growing, packing and handling of fresh produce in countries exporting to the U.S., PSP commissioned a review of those systems in fi ve of the U.S.’s largest trading partners - Canada, Chile, China, Mexico, and Peru.

Lessons to Be Learned from the 2008 Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak of 2008 officially over on August 28, 2008, some three months after it began. During that time, more than 1,400 persons were reported infected, and if, as suggested by research, this represents an underreporting, the outbreak may have sickened thousands of Americans. Given the human, economic and public-health costs of this recent food borne-illness outbreak, therefore, it is critical to learn from it. This report represents the first extensive and in-depth review of the public record of the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak. In doing so, three areas of concern have surfaced: policy, the public-health system's organization and outbreak response, and its communications with the media and the public.

Making Good Choices (Winter 2005-2006 Trust Magazine article)

In partnership with Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute and the Brookings Institution, the two-year, $3.9-million Retirement Security Project (RSP) is backed by an advisory board that includes members of five presidential administrations. RSP is looking for practical, commonsense ways to both prompt people to save more and identify incentives to saving embedded in government programs and policies.

Nanotechnology Oversight

The next presidential administration will face a host of complex policy issues concerning energy, the environment, food safety, consumer products and the workplace. One issue, however, that will impact virtually all of these policy areas is nanotechnology oversight.

National Research Council Report

The National Research Council report offers guidance to officials in the public and private sectors on conducting health impact assessment (HIA) to evaluate public health consequences of proposed decisions.

Navigating the U.S. Food Additive Regulatory Program

The Food Additives Amendment of 1958 is the foundation for the U.S. food additive regulatory program, which oversees most substances added to food. This article is a comprehensive review of the program, and includes original analysis of pre- and postmarket safety standards for various categories and subcategories of substances and their uses.

Out of Balance: A Look at Snack Foods in Secondary Schools across the States

How healthy are the snack foods sold in secondary schools via vending machines, school stores and snack bars? A recent report on unhealthy snack foods published by the Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project—a collaboration between The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation—suggests the issue could be more than bite-sized.

Pandemic Flu and the Potential for U.S. Economic Recession

A pandemic flu outbreak could sicken 90 billion and kill 2 million people in the United States, according to estimates, but a recent Trust for America's Health report examines another potential casualty-- our economy. According to the report, an outbreak could deliver a $680 billion blow to the U.S. economy, leading to the second worst recession since World War II.

Pew Biomedical Scholars Win Top Awards

Two Pew Biomedical Scholars have won top science awards this fall.

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs: An Assessment of the Evidence for Best Practices

A PDMP is a statewide electronic database that gathers information from pharmacies on dispensed prescriptions for controlled substances. This white paper describes what is known about PDMP best practices and documents the extent to which these practices have been implemented. More info