Category: Issue 290
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Packaging Chemicals May Affect Women’s Fertility
U.S. and Danish researchers have published an article that discusses a study conducted on a subset of the Danish National Birth Cohort of some 100,000 children and their mothers to explore whether bloodstream levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), chemicals used in food packaging, may affect fertility. Chunyuan Fei, et al., “Maternal Levels…
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Study Claims BPA Remains in Body Longer Than Expected
A recent study has claimed that the food packaging chemical bisphenol A (BPA) remains in the body longer than expected, raising questions about potential non-food sources. Richard Stahlhut, et al., “Bisphenol A Data in NHANES Suggest Longer Than Expected Half-Life, Substantial Non-Food Exposure, or Both,” Environmental Health Perspectives, January 28, 2009. University of Rochester Medical…
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Two Separate Reports of Mercury in High Fructose Corn Syrup Spur Calls for Regulation
A recent study published in Environmental Health has allegedly identified mercury in nearly 50 percent of sampled commercial high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Renee Dufault, et al., “Mercury From Chlor-Alkali Plants: Measured Concentrations in Food Product Sugar,” Environmental Health, January 2009. The study authors apparently detected mercury in nine of 20 HFCS samples from 2005, concluding…
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Organic Fertilizer Producer in California under Investigation
Federal agents reportedly raided a major organic fertilizer producer in Bakersfield, California, over concerns that it was using a synthetic nitrogen, which is banned from organic farms. Port Organic Products Ltd. is believed to produce up to half the liquid fertilizer used on the state’s organic farms. The raid follows by about a month press…
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William Marler, “Serving Up Trouble,” Trial, January 2009
Food litigator William Marler discusses the 2006 spinach E. coli outbreak in this article, which provides an overview of the issues that plaintiffs’ lawyers should consider when they represent clients allegedly sickened by contaminated fresh produce. Among the issues flagged are (i) which entities are liable under a strict products liability scheme; (ii) what effect…
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Baby Food Company Faces New Class Action over Product Promotions and Labeling
A Massachusetts woman has filed a putative class action in federal court against Gerber Products Co., alleging that its packaging misrepresented the quality of its Fruit Juice Snacks®, which “were virtually nothing more than candy with a touch of vitamin C.” Wiley v. Gerber Prods. Co., No. 09-10099 (D. Mass, filed January 22, 2009). She…
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Pomegranate Juice Dispute Goes to Federal Court
POM Wonderful LLC has reportedly brought false advertising and unfair competition claims in federal court against Welch Foods Inc. for marketing a product with little pomegranate juice as a “white grape and pomegranate” juice. POM Wonderful LLC v. Welch Foods Inc., No. 09-00567 (C.D. Cal., filed January 23, 2009). According to a news source, POM Wonderful…
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New Peanut Butter Salmonella Lawsuit Filed; Product Recall Expanded
Food litigator William Marler has filed a second lawsuit against the Peanut Corp. of America (PCA) on behalf of a California family whose 3-year-old son allegedly fell ill and was hospitalized after eating Salmonella-contaminated peanut butter cracker sandwiches made with a PCA peanut butter product. Trone v. Peanut Corp. of Am., No. 09-418 (N.D. Cal., filed January…