Category: Issue 375
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Study Purportedly Links Diacetyl to Bronchiolitis Obliterans
A recent study has proposed a model linking the butter flavoring known as diacetyl to bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome, a lung disease diagnosed in microwave popcorn plant workers. James Mathews, et al., “Reaction of the Butter Flavorant Diacetyl (2,3-Butanedione) with N-α Acetylarginine: A Model for Epitope Formation with Pulmonary Proteins in the Etiology of Obliterative Bronchiolitis,”…
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Food & Water Watch Critical of Seafood Eco-Labels
Food & Water Watch (FWW) has published a report critical of seafood eco-labels that certify products as “environmentally friendly” or “sustainably produced.” Titled De-Coding Seafood Eco-Labels: Why We Need Public Standards, the report examines several seafood certification programs created “in response to a range of controversial issues related to the production and consumption of fish.” According…
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Tim and Nina Zagat, “Adding Fairness to the Tip,” The New York Times, December 13, 2010
Authored by the co-founders of the Zagat Survey, this New York Times op-ed examines a recent spate of class action lawsuits arguing that many prominent restaurateurs, including Lidia Bastianich and Mario Batali, “are routinely cheating their workers by confiscating waiters’ and busboys’ tips to share with managers and other ineligible employees.” Tim and Nina Zagat,…
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California Egg Producer Seeks Clarification of Prop. 2 Humane Animal Husbandry Standards
A California egg producer has filed a lawsuit against the state and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) seeking a declaration that the improvements it has already made to its facilities, referred to as “the enriched colony housing system,” comply with the requirements of Proposition 2 (Prop. 2). JS West Milling Co., Inc.…
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Tropicana Sued over Pomegranate/Blueberry Juice Product
A Florida resident has filed a putative class action against Tropicana Products,Inc. and a retailer, alleging that promotions for Trop50 Pomegranate Blueberry Juice Beverage® are deceptive because the product consists primarily of“a mixture of cheap apple juice and grape juice concentrates.” Cruz v. Tropicana Prods., Inc., No. 10-62926CA08 (Fla. Cir. Ct., Miami-Dade Cty., filed December 14,…
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Carrot Producer Sues over Failure of Sanitizer Product
Alleging damages in excess of $50 million, a company that processes and sells baby carrots, along with its liability insurers, has sued the maker of a product that was promised to increase vegetable shelf-life, alleging that carrots treated with the sanitizer “suffered elevated yeast growth and severely premature spoilage as compared to [plaintiff’s] historical experience…
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“Happy Meals” Lawsuit Filed in California
Seeking to represent a class of California children younger than age 8 and their parents, the mother of a 6-year-old girl has reportedly filed a putative class action against McDonald’s Corp., alleging that it baits children by advertising its “unhealthy Happy Meals” with toys and thus “has helped create, and continues to exacerbate, a super-sized…
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Ohio AG Brings Consumer Sales Practices Action Against Dannon
The same day that the Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement over alleged deceptive advertising claims for DanActive® beverage and Activia® yogurt, Ohio’s attorney general filed a lawsuit alleging that The Dannon Co. has violated the state’s Consumer Sales Practices Act (CSPA) by failing to substantiate the health-related claims it makes for the products. Ohio…