Category: Issue 376
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EU Confectioners Not Entitled to Trademark for Chocolate Rabbits and Reindeer
Having considered the matter for some six years, the General Court of the European Union (EU) has determined that chocolate makers Lindt & Sprüngli AG and August Storck AG cannot register certain three-dimensional shapes, their colored wrappings and ribbons as European Community trademarks. According to the court, chocolate rabbits, reindeer, bells, and mice “cannot be…
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Cases Recently Decided—Exploding Snails, State Alcohol Beverage Laws, E. ColiTainted Meat Outbreak
According to a news source, a small claims court in California has exonerated two seafood restaurant supervisors for alleged negligence in the case of the exploding escargot. More details about the case appear in Issue 373 of this Update. In a two-page ruling, the court apparently determined, “There was absolutely no evidence whatsoever on what caused…
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Cases Recently Filed—Food Pyramid, Caffeine/Alcohol Drinks, Salad Dressing, and Bottled Water
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) has filed a lawsuit seeking a response to its petition calling for the withdrawal of the federal government’s “current MyPyramid food diagram and dietary guidelines” and the adoption of PCRM’s “Power Plate food diagram and dietary guidelines.” PCRM v. Vilsack, No. 11-00038 (D.D.C., filed January 5, 2011). Brought against…
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Germany Investigates Dioxin-Tainted Eggs
German officials have launched an investigation into an animal feed supplier that allegedly distributed a dioxin-tainted additive to 25 feed manufacturers, who in turn sold products to hundreds of poultry, pork and egg farms in Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Thuringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg. According to media sources, Uetersen-based Harles & Jentzsch GmbH made its additive…
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UK to Relax Regulations on Beer and Bread Sales
The U.K. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has announced plans to relax regulations governing the sale of beer, wine and unwrapped bread loaves. Science Minister David Willetts apparently confirmed the government’s intention to scrap laws stipulating that unpackaged bread “weighing more than 300g must be made up in quantities of 400g or multiples of…
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NIOSH Assesses Occupational Exposure to Carbon Nanotubes, Nanofibers
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has announced the availability of a draft document that contains a toxicological assessment of the potential health risks of occupational exposure to carbon nanotubes and nanofibers. The draft document also provides recommendations for the safe handling of these materials, which can be found in many applications, including…
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NTP Workshop to Explore Role of Environmental Chemicals in Diabetes, Obesity
The Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program (NTP) has announced a January 11-13, 2011, workshop in Raleigh, North Carolina, to address how environmental chemicals may be contributing to the “epidemics of diabetes and obesity.” Workshop participants will (i) “evaluate strengths/weaknesses, consistency, and biological plausibility of findings reported in humans and experimental animals for…
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IOM Forum to Discuss FDA’s Food Safety Role
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has announced a January 28, 2011, forum to discuss the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) role in ensuring safe food. IOM’s Committee on Review of FDA will meet in Washington, D.C., with agency representatives to review the recommendations put forth in its June 2010 report, Enhancing Food Safety, which described…