Category: Issue 473
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Putative Class Claims over Kraft, Cadbury and Back to Nature Food Labels Narrowed
A federal court in California has denied in part and granted in part the defendants’ motion to dismiss putative class claims that many of their food products are sold with labels that are unlawful and/or mislead consumers. Ivie v. Kraft Foods Global, Inc., No. 12-2554 (N.D. Cal., order entered February 25, 2013). Among the products are…
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Court Narrows Claims Against Tea Company over Antioxidant Source Labels
A federal court in California has dismissed some of the putative class claims filed against Twining North America, Inc., alleging that the company misled consumers by labeling its green tea products as a “natural source of antioxidants.” Lanovaz v. Twinings N. Am., Inc., No. 12-2646 (N.D. Cal., order entered February 25, 2013). Stricken with leave to…
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Colorado Rejects GE Food Labeling Bill
In a 7–2 vote, lawmakers in Colorado have rejected a bill (H.B.1192) that would have defined “genetically engineered” and required a person selling, distributing or offering food for sale in Colorado to identify genetically engineered (GE) food with the following label: “This product contains genetically engineered material or was produced with genetically engineered material.” The…
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Styrene Will Not Be Added to California’s Prop. 65 List
California EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has withdrawn styrene as a potential addition to the list of substances known to the state to cause cancer by means of the Labor Code mechanism. In 2009, a state judge tentatively enjoined its listing after determining that no known evidence supported a finding that styrene…
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California Targets Sale of “Plumped” Poultry in State Buildings
California Assembly Member Ian Calderon (D-Whittier) has introduced a bill (A.B. 682) that “would prohibit chicken or turkey sold in any state-owned or state-leased building at food concessions and cafeterias from being ‘plumped’ in any way.” The legislation defines “plumped” poultry as any such product injected with “saltwater, chicken stock, seaweed extract, or some combination…
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Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax Introduced in California
Proposed legislation (S.B. 622) in California would impose a 1-cent per fluid ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages to finance a Children’s Health Promotion Fund. Introduced by Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel), the measure would apply to all sugar-sweetened beverage distributors whether their products are bottled or sold as concentrate. Intended to “discourage the excessive consumption of…
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EFSA Meeting to Target Endocrine Active Substances
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will host a meeting on March 20, 2013, in Brussels to discuss the agency’s work in the area of endocrine active substances (EAS) and endocrine disruptors (ED). The EFSA Scientific Committee will present its opinion on “Hazard assessment of endocrine disruptors: scientific criteria for identification of endocrine disruptors and…
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Codex Meeting to Target Food Contaminants
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration have announced a March 12, 2013, public meeting in College Park, Maryland, to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft U.S. positions for discussion at the 7th Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods in Moscow on April…