Category: Issue 377
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Retail Food Interests Allege Price Fixing in Egg Market
A coalition of food wholesalers and retailers has filed an antitrust lawsuit in a Kansas state court against egg producers and industry trade groups alleging that, by reducing the number of hens, increasing egg exports and decreasing hen lifecycles, the defendants conspired to manipulate egg prices, which have more than doubled in recent years. Associated…
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Amended Complaint Says Gerber Failed to Warn About Lead in Apple Juice
According to a press report, an amended putative class complaint has been filed in a Florida federal court against two companies that make and sell apple juice for children’s consumption, alleging that by failing to warn about the presence of lead in the juice the companies have violated state deceptive and unfair trade practices law.…
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Insurance Coverage Claims Settled in Pistachio Recall Cases
Setton International Foods, which recalled more than 15 million pounds of pistachios in 2009 when Salmonella was detected in a delivery to one of its customers, has reportedly entered a settlement agreement with its insurers in a dispute over coverage for third-party claims. While the terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, a federal…
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Court Dismisses Class Action over Salt in Denny’s Menu Items
A New Jersey appellate court has dismissed the second amended complaint in a putative class action filed by a man who claims that Denny’s meals contain excessive undisclosed levels of sodium in violation of the state’s Consumer Fraud Act. DeBenedetto v. Denny’s, Inc., No. A-4135-09T1 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div., decided January 11, 2011). The…
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U.S. Supreme Court Declines Review of Doffing-and-Donning Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court has denied the certiorari petition filed by Kraft Foods, seeking review of a Seventh Circuit ruling that requires the company to pay for the time it takes workers to change into and out of safety gear and work clothes, despite a collective bargaining agreement to the contrary. Kraft Foods Global, Inc.…
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UK Nanotechnologies and Food Discussion Group Holds Initial Meeting
The U.K. Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) Nanotechnologies and Food Discussion Group has held its first meeting to consider advancing recommendations from a House of Lords Committee on Science and Technology 2010 report. Fifteen stakeholders from consumer organizations, academia, industry, and government departments met on January 13, 2011, to “exchange information between different sectors within the…
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EU Threatens Regulation to Assuage Dioxin Fears
The European Commission (EC) has reportedly threatened to regulate the animal feed industry after dioxin-tainted eggs from Germany triggered a widespread investigation involving poultry and pork farms across the region. EC spokesperson Frederic Vincent apparently told reporters that a meeting with industry leaders produced “no concrete proposals” to prevent new contamination, although participants have been…
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EPA Proposal Would Ban Pesticide Used on Food, Packaging
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced plans to implement a “phased-down withdrawal” of the pesticide sulfuryl fluoride. The fumigant apparently breaks down into fluoride and is used to control insects in stored grains, dried fruits, tree nuts, coffee and cocoa beans, and in food handling and processing facilities. After reevaluating current science on fluoride,…