Category: Issue 470
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Class Certification Revoked for Pizza Delivery Drivers
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed the grant of class certification for some 1,600 Domino’s Pizza delivery drivers in Minnesota, finding that their claims lacked commonality. Luiken v. Domino’s Pizza, LLC, No. 12-1216 (8th Cir., decided February 4, 2013). The drivers claimed that Domino’s improperly withheld from them a fixed delivery charge imposed…
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Researchers Examine Parallels Between Food and Drug Addiction
A recent article published in Biological Psychiatry reviews the research examining the neurological basis for food addiction and its relation to obesity. Nora Volkow, et al., “The Addictive Dimensionality of Obesity,” Biological Psychiatry, February 2013. Co-authored by National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Nora Volkow, the article proposes that drug and food addiction “share neurobiological processes…
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Yale Study Focuses on Food Addiction Stigma
A recent study examining the public stigma around food addiction has concluded that the “food addict” label “was perceived similarly to obesity, but more favorably than other addictions.” Jenny DePierre, et al., “A New Stigmatized Identity? Comparisons of a ‘Food Addict’ Label with Other Stigmatized Health Conditions,” Basic and Applied Social Psychology, February 2013. To…
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NAD Clears Promotions for Michelob ULTRA Light Cider®
According to a news source, the Council of Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division (NAD) has determined that Anheuser Busch promotions for Michelob ULTRA Light Cider® comply with Food and Drug Administration definitions and guidelines. The company apparently claims that the product has one-third fewer calories than its competitors, and the ad industry’s self-regulatory investigative…
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Yale Alums Object to Food & Beverage Corporate Sponsorship
A Yale University event for women graduates will feature an address by U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and some alumnae have reportedly questioned whether she should be participating in a PepsiCo-sponsored event. An architecture graduate apparently called the association “shocking,” despite assurances from the Supreme Court’s public information officer that “[h]er appearance does…
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New Report Raises Questions About Safety of Nanomaterials in Food and Food Packaging
Advocacy organization As You Sow has issued a report titled “Slipping Through the Cracks: An Issue Brief on Nanomaterials in Food” to “inform companies, investors, and consumers about the emerging use of engineered nanomaterials in food and food related products, and to highlight the potential unknown risks of this technology.” The organization describes how it…
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Emotional Distress Claims Allowed for Uneaten Contaminated Food in Washington
Answering a question certified by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, a divided Washington Supreme Court has determined that a deputy sheriff who was served, but did not consume, a Burger King hamburger contaminated with an employee’s spit, may recover under state product liability law for emotional distress, “but only if the emotional distress is…
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Court Approves Settlement of Wage Claims Against Japanese Steakhouse Chain
A federal court in California has reportedly approved the settlement of wage-related claims in a class action filed by restaurant managers against Benihana National Corp., which owns and operates a Japanese hibachi steakhouse chain. Akaosugi v. Benihana Nat’l Corp., No. 11-1272 (N.D. Cal., settlement approved January 24, 2103). The company has apparently agreed to pay $660,000,…