Food & Beverage Litigation & Regulatory Update

Category: Issue 291

  • House of Lords Creates Subcommittee on Nanotechnology and Food

    The House of Lords Science & Technology Committee has created a subcommittee to investigate the use of nanotechnology in the food sector. Led by Lord John Richard Krebs, the inquiry will focus on food products, additives and supplements; food contact packaging; food processing; animal feed; pesticides and fertilizers; and food containers and utensils. “We intend…

  • Study Claims Consumption of Smoked or Cured Meats Correlates to Increased Leukemia Risk

    A recent Harvard School of Public Health study has claimed that eating smoked or cured meats could increase the risk of leukemia in children and young adults. Chen-yu Liu, et al., “Cured meat, vegetables and bean-curd foods in relation to childhood acute leukemia risk: A population cast-control study,” BMC Cancer (2009). Researchers analyzed the dietary…

  • Sofía Baliño, “Fishing with the Stars,” Food & Water Watch Blog, February 2, 2009

    This blog post examines a fish diet trend currently sweeping Hollywood, raising questions about the safety and sustainability of certain seafood selections. According to Food & Water Watch, actor Jeremy Piven became “the rumored victim of mercury poisoning” after eating sushi twice daily, while Madonna has pledged to eat more salmon and Angelina Jolie earlier…

  • CSPI Urges Retailers to Use Loyalty Card Data to Notify Customers About Recalls

    The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has sent letters to retailers, calling on them to use their membership and bonus card data, which track customer purchases, to provide targeted warnings when tainted foods are subject to recall. Noting that some companies with bonus card programs already issue food safety alerts and, in…

  • Dairy Executive Appeals Life Sentence Imposed After Tainted Milk Guilty Plea

    According to a news source, former Sanlu Group chairwoman Tian Wenhua has appealed the life sentence she received after she entered a guilty plea to charges arising out of the melamine-tainted milk scandal in China that sickened hundreds of thousands of children and led to a number of deaths. Tian’s lawyer reportedly contends that his…

  • Canadian Meat Producer Agrees to Settle Listeriosis Claims

    Maple Leaf Foods Inc. has agreed to pay $25 million to settle class claims filed after ready-to-eat meats tainted with Listeria monocytogenes allegedly sickened dozens of Canadians and caused 20 deaths in 2008. The settlement, which must be approved by courts in several provinces, would provide an additional $2 million if needed to fully compensate…

  • Meat Processors Enter Dispute over Responsibility for E. Coli Outbreak

    Nebraska Beef, Ltd. has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking a declaration that it was not responsible for the E. coli contamination that led to the recall of nearly 7 million pounds of beef in 2008. Nebraska Beef, Ltd. v. Meyer Foods Holdings, L.L.C., No. 09-43 (D. Neb., filed January 30, 2009). According to the complaint,…

  • Class Action to Proceed for “Natural” Pasta Sauce Containing HFCS

    A federal court has refused to dismiss putative class claims filed under California’s consumer protection law against a company that advertises its pasta sauce, which contains high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), as “all natural.” Lockwood v. ConAgra Foods, Inc., No. 08-04151 (N.D. Cal., decided February 3, 2009). The defendant sought to dismiss the claims on preemption grounds and…