Category: Issue 381
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Recalled Ground Red Pepper Sparks Litigation Between Spice Companies
Adams Extract & Spice has sued Van de Vries Spice Corp. in a New Jersey federal court alleging damages in excess of $75,000 due to a 2009 spice recall involving ground red pepper allegedly contaminated with Salmonella. Adams Extract & Spice, LLC v. Van de Vries Spice Corp., No. 11-00720 (D.N.J., filed February 8, 2011).…
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India Supreme Court Requests Removal of Industry Reps from Safety Enforcement Panels
Ruling on a request by a non-governmental organization (NGO), two supreme court justices in India have reportedly asked the government to remove food and soft drink company representatives from food-safety standards and enforcement panels. According to the justices, the industry representation clearly breaches the mandate of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Under the…
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Judicial Panel Denies Request to Centralize Contaminated Baby Formula Lawsuits
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has denied a plaintiff’s motion to centralize several lawsuits involving recalled infant formula, purportedly contaminated with insects, before a multidistrict litigation (MDL) court for pretrial proceedings. In re: Abbott Labs., Inc., Similac Prods. Liab. Litig., MDL No. 2211 (J.P.M.L., decided February 4, 2011). The panel noted that while it…
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States Rights Moves into the Food Safety Arena
Utah State Representative Bill Wright (R-Holden) has reportedly introduced legislation (H.B. 365) that would exempt from federal regulation all foods grown and consumed within the state’s borders. He was quoted as saying, “Within the state, it’s state’s rights. We already have regulations over those items. We function well now. We don’t think they have a…
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Massachusetts Health Regulators Move to Limit Junk Food in Public Schools
Massachusetts public health regulators have reportedly approved proposed rules that would prohibit public schools from selling sweetened soft drinks, salty and calorie-laden packaged snacks, and white bread sandwiches as a way to combat childhood obesity. Effective in the 2012-13 school year, the proposed regulations need the approval of the state’s Public Health Council, which is…
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Germany Approves Feed Safety Measures
The German Cabinet has reportedly approved an action plan proposed byFood, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Minister Ilse Aigner that incorporates “tighter rules for dioxin checks into the Food and Feed Code (LFGB)” and proposes several statutory changes to feed production regulations. A response to dioxin-tainted animal feed that temporarily disrupted the European Union’s (EU’s) egg,…
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Single-Method Test that Detects Nine Sweeteners Adopted as European Standard
The European Committee for Standardization has approved a single-test method that can detect nine different sweeteners and their dosages in drinks, and canned and bottled fruits. Developed by the European Commission’s Joint Research Center’s (JRC’s) Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, the method sets national standards for European Union (EU) member states, Croatia, Iceland, Norway,…
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FSIS Considers Animal Rights Groups’ Petitions on Downer Livestock
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has requested comments on two petitions for rulemaking submitted by animal rights groups seeking reformed regulations concerning “the disposition of non-ambulatory disabled” livestock at slaughter. FSIS also plans to clarify its requirements for “condemned non-ambulatory disabled cattle at official slaughter establishments.” The Humane Society…