Category: Issue 437
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Grand Jury Indicts Distributors of Adulterated and “Washed” Cheese from Mexico
A federal grand jury in Illinois has brought criminal indictments against four individuals who allegedly distributed more than 110,000 pounds of Mexican cheese in the United States in 2007 despite Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “hold” orders and also allegedly “washed” cheese returned by dissatisfied customers by scraping off mold and fungus so it could…
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NLRB Judge Finds Fast-Food Facebook® Post Encouraged Harassment of Union Supporter
A National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) administrative law judge has determined that the owner of 10 Jimmy John’s fast-food restaurants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area violated federal law during a labor dispute by, among other matters, posting a pro-union employee’s phone number on its Facebook® page and suggesting that members text the employee to “let…
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Ninth Circuit Dismisses “0 Grams Trans Fat” Class Action Against Ice Cream Co.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the dismissal of a putative class action filed against Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, Inc., alleging that the company misrepresented its products by labeling them as “0g Trans Fat” when they actually contain some trans fat per serving. Carrea v. Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, Inc., No. 11-15263 (9th Cir., decided…
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Health Canada Closes Natural Health Product Loophole
Health Canada has reportedly notified companies that it will no longer accept natural-health product (NHP) applications for functional foods and similar products that are “represented, packaged and sold as foods.” According to media sources, the agency in a letter to industry explained that NHPs such as prepackaged beverages, protein mixes and other products resembling conventional…
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EU Member States Endorse New List of Flavoring Substances
During a recent meeting of the European Union’s (EU’s) Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, EU member states reportedly endorsed a European Commission proposal to establish a new list of permitted flavoring substances for food products. The committee also approved a transitional measure on other flavorings, including those made from non-food sources.…
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FDA Report Focuses on Safety of Imported Products
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a report describing its efforts to ensure the safety of imported food, drugs, medical devices, and other regulated products. Titled “Global Engagement,” the report asserts that FDA-regulated products originate from more than 150 countries, 130,000 importers and 300,000 foreign facilities. According to FDA, food imports have grown…
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USDA Confirms New BSE Case in Dairy Cow
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a statement confirming that its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service identified a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a dairy cow from central California. According to the April 24, 2012, news release, the cow presented with an atypical type of BSE “not generally associated with…