Category: Issue 278
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Nestle and Ludwig Claim Food Industry Practices Counter Health Messages
In an article appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, David Ludwig, M.D., and Marion Nestle, Ph.D, discuss the voluntary efforts that food corporations have undertaken to address the rising rates of obesity in the United States and then detail the counterproductive activities in which they allegedly continue to engage. David Ludwig & Marion…
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British Chef Opens “Ministry of Food” to Tackle Obesity
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who gained renown with his cooking show “The Naked Chef,” has apparently launched an initiative designed to teach people how to cook in an effort to reduce the incidence of obesity in Great Britain. Starting in a city of 250,000 in northern England with one of the highest rates of obesity…
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New York Times Magazine Targets Food Topics
The New York Times Magazine featured several prominent food writers in its October 12, 2008, food issue, which covered topics ranging from agricultural production to marketing strategies. Author Michael Pollan penned an open letter, titled “Farmer in Chief,” addressing the numerous food security challenges facing the next U.S. president. Pollan tells the president-elect that even…
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State AGs Ask Baby Bottle Manufactures to Remove Bisphenol A
The attorneys general for Connecticut, Delaware and New Jersey have written to 11 companies asking them to discontinue the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles and infant formula packaging. Attorneys General Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Anne Milgram (N.J.) and Joseph R. Biden III (Del.) apparently asked manufactures to “affirm [their] commitment to safe products…
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Second Melamine Contamination Lawsuit Filed in China Against Dairy Company
According to a news source, a migrant worker from southern Guangdong province has sued Sanlu Group Co., alleging that the melamine in its baby formula caused his 11-month-old son’s kidney stones. The lawsuit, which has not yet been accepted by the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court, apparently seeks US$132,000 in damages. The plaintiff’s lawyer has reportedly…
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Environmental Advocates Notify Retailers of Intent to Sue for Contaminants in Bottled Water
The Environmental Working Group (EWG), which has been studying the contents of bottled water for the past two years, reportedly notified a national retailer that it intends to bring a lawsuit under California’s Proposition 65 for the company’s failure to inform consumers that some brands of bottled water contain chlorine-based contaminants that are known to…
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Consumer Files Popcorn Lung Lawsuit in Missouri
A microwave popcorn consumer who allegedly developed a lung injury from her exposure to diacetyl, the chemical responsible for the butter flavoring in the product, has sued popcorn manufacturers, retailers and flavoring companies in a Missouri state court, alleging product liability and negligence. Khoury v. ConAgra Foods Inc., No. 0816-CV31620 (Jackson County Circuit Court, Missouri,…
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Court Dismisses Class Action Claims for Fraud in Sale of “Aged” Beef
A federal court in Ohio has dismissed the putative class action claims filed by a woman who alleged that Kroger Co. deceived the public by selling its beef as aged, when it was actually selling beef packaged and shipped almost immediately after slaughter. St. Clair v. Kroger Co., No. 7-03798 (N.D. Ohio, decided October 14,…