Food & Beverage Litigation & Regulatory Update

Category: Issue 469

  • Dutch Marketing for Functional Food Product Reveals Regulatory Shortcomings

    Dutch social and political science professors have presented a case study on marketing a functional food in the European Union (EU) to demonstrate that nontextual marketing, which the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is apparently ill-equipped to regulate, plays a larger role in consumer purchasing decisions than textual product messages. Herman Lelieveldt and Cris Boonen,…

  • Dietary Quality of Fast-Food Menus Criticized

    A study evaluating “five popular fast-food chains’ menus in relation to dietary guidance” has allegedly concluded that despite varied offerings, full menus “scored lower than 50 out of 100 possible points on the HEI-2005 [Healthy Eating Index- 2005].” Sharon Kilpatrick, et al., “Fast-food menu offerings vary in dietary quality, but are consistently poor,” Public Health…

  • SSB Intake Allegedly Alters Cardiometabolic Markers in Children

    A recent analysis of young children enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2004 has reportedly claimed that sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption “was independently associated with alterations in lipid profiles, increased markers of inflammation, and increased waist circumference in children.” Ethan Kosova, et al., “The Relationships between Sugar Sweetened Beverage Intake and…

  • New Study Reexamines Role of Egg Consumption in Coronary Heart Disease

    A recent meta-analysis has reportedly concluded that, contrary to previous assumptions, “higher consumption of eggs (up to one egg per day) is not associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease [CHD] or stroke.” Ying Rong, et al., “Egg consumption and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies,”…

  • Burger King Drops UK Supplier Implicated in Horsemeat Scandal

    Burger King has reportedly dropped one of its suppliers after finding traces of horse DNA in beef provided for sale in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The restaurant chain apparently tested its own products in the wake of a Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) investigation that allegedly found horse DNA in beef patties and…

  • Kelly Brownell to Lead Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy

    Duke University has announced the selection of Kelly Brownell, who currently directs Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, as dean of its Sanford School of Public Policy. According to a January 30, 2013, news release, Brownell will replace the Sanford School’s founding dean, Bruce Kuniholm, as head of undergraduate and graduate studies,…

  • PepsiCo to Remove BVO from Gatorade

    Apparently motivated in part by an online petition started by a 15-year-old from Mississippi, PepsiCo has reportedly decided to remove brominated vegetable oil (BVO), a flame retardant, from Gatorade®. Sarah Kavanagh posted the petition on Change.org after she read about studies linking BVO to possible health effects, and it was signed by more than 200,000…

  • Dole Agrees to Work on Guatemalan Water Project to Settle Misrepresentation Claims

    Without admitting liability, Dole Food Co. has reportedly settled a putative class action that claimed the company misrepresented its environmental practices in Guatemala. Laderer v. Dole Food Co. Inc., No. 12-09715 (C.D. Cal., motion to dismiss filed January 26, 2013). According to the complaint, the plaintiff would not have purchased the company’s bananas or “paid as much…