Category: Issue 477
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Court Rules Against Animal Rights Groups in Foie Gras Dispute
A federal court in California has dismissed with prejudice a complaint filed by groups concerned about ducks force-fed to produce foie gras against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and its Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), seeking to compel FSIS to ban force-fed foie gras from the human food supply as adulterated and diseased.…
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UK High Court Bars Chobani from Using “Greek” Yogurt Label
According to a news source, U.K. High Court Justice Michael Briggs has ordered New York-based Chobani to change its “Greek” yogurt labels, finding that they mislead more than 50 percent of British consumers into believing that it was made in Greece. Company rival Fage brought the lawsuit to “restrain Chobani from passing off its American-made…
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Mississippi Governor Signs “Anti-Bloomberg” Bill
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant (R) has signed legislation (S.B. 2687) prohibiting food regulation at the local level. Dubbed the “anti Bloomberg” bill by some lawmakers and media outlets, the new law reserves for the state legislature the power to regulate consumer incentive items, implement menu and vending machine labeling rules, and set other restrictions on…
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Public Hearing Scheduled for California Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax
A sugar-sweetened beverage tax proposal (S.B. 622) introduced in February 2013 by Sen. Bill Monning (D) and co-sponsored by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, is scheduled for public hearing on April 24, 2013. The proposed legislation would impose a 1 cent per fluid ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages to finance a Children’s Health…
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UK Agency Dismisses Nesquik Ad Complaints
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has declined to uphold five complaints claiming that Nestlé UK Ltd.’s TV advertisements for Nesquik chocolate milkshake “encouraged poor nutritional habits by suggesting the product was suitable to give to children for breakfast on a daily basis.” According to ASA, the complaints described the product as high in sugar…
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EFSA Issues Food Additive Priority List
The European Food Standards Authority (EFSA) has issued a priority list of food additives “for which scientific data are required to finalize their re-evaluation within deadlines established by European legislation.” Tasked with re-evaluating hundreds of food additives by 2020, EFSA’s Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources Added to Food (ANS Panel) has asked member…
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EFSA to Hold Public Consultation on BPA Draft Opinion
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has announced a forthcoming public consultation to discuss its draft opinion on the potential health risks of bisphenol A (BPA). Slated for final adoption in November 2013, the draft opinion will take into account “ongoing scientific work on BPA at European and national levels” as well as the work…
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Senators Accuse Companies of Marketing Energy Drinks to Children
U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) recently sent letters to the CEOs of Monster Beverage Corp., Rockstar, Inc., and Red Bull North America, accusing the companies of marketing energy drinks to children. Citing “growing concern about the potential health risks posed by energy drinks,” the legislators claim that despite pledges to abstain…