Category: Issue 458
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Federal Court Approves Diamond Walnuts Settlement
A federal court in California has given final approval to the $2.6 million settlement of a class action alleging that Diamond Foods falsely represented that the omega-3 in its walnuts provides health benefits. Zeisel v. Diamond Foods, Inc., No. 10-01192 (N.D. Cal., decided October 16, 2012). Additional information about the case appears in Issue 436…
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JPML Denies Transfer in Cases Challenging Marketing Claims for Infant Formulas and Cereals
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) has denied a motion to centralize, for pre-trial purposes, 10 lawsuits pending in five districts against Gerber Products Co. and Nestlé USA, Inc. alleging that the companies “misleadingly advertise and market infant formulas and cereals as promoting immunity, digestive health, and visual and cognitive function because they contain…
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French MEP Feeds Foie Gras Furor
French MEP Francoise Castex has reportedly condemned California’s statewide ban on the production and sale of any product that is “the result of force-feeding a bird for the purpose of enlarging its liver beyond normal size,” calling the prohibition on foie gras “a battle for Europe.” After a recent attempt by producers to enjoin the…
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Denmark Tracks Decline in Animal Antibiotic Use
The Statens Serum Institut and National Food Institute at the Technical University of Denmark recently released a report charting a decline in overall antibiotic use in the country’s food animals. Funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Higher Education, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and the Ministry of the Health, the Danish…
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Senator Urges FDA to Improve Seafood Fraud Enforcement
U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) has urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take action to address seafood fraud. In her October 15, 2012, letter, Boxer defines seafood fraud as “the mislabeling of one species of fish for another fish that is often cheaper and more readily available.” Boxer cites studies purportedly showing that the…
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Studies Claim Food and Beverage Youth Marketing in Australia Fails Ad Regs
Researchers with the New South Wales Cancer Council and University of Adelaide have assessed food and beverage TV advertisements broadcast in five major Australian cities during children’s programming from September 1 to October 31, 2010, and found a total of 951 breaches of both mandatory and voluntary regulations. Michele Roberts, et al., “Compliance with children’s…
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NBC’s Open Channel Blog Documents Chronic Kidney Disease in Sugarcane Workers
NBC’s Open Channel blog has reported “an inexplicable epidemic in Central America, where more than 16,000 people—mostly sugarcane workers— have died from incurable chronic kidney disease [CKD].” According to Open Channel, “hundreds, if not thousands” of people in the sugar-producing city of Chichigalpa, Nicaragua, have allegedly contracted CKD, which has apparently increased “five-fold in the…
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CSPI Celebrates Food Day with Video Contest
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has invited the submission of “videos of people pouring out soda on or about October 24” to celebrate the second annual Food Day. Videos will be accepted until November 7, 2012, with the winning entry receiving $1,000. According to CSPI executive director Michael Jacobson, “Food Day…