Category: Issue 480
-
Federal Court Orders Production of Marketing Docs in Omega-3 Suit
A federal court in California has ordered Bumble Bee Foods, LLC to produce “documents dating back to 2004 regarding the marketing and labeling strategies for the products [plaintiff] purchased and for products with the same Omega-3 label or with nearly identical labels” in a putative nationwide consumer-fraud class action. Ogden v. Bumble Bee Foods, LLC,…
-
False Ad Claims Allowed Against Foie Gras Producer
A federal court in California has decided that some consumer-fraud claims brought by an animal rights group and a company that makes vegan faux foie gras against Hudson Valley Foie Gras (HVFG) over statements that the defendant’s product is “the humane choice” may proceed. Animal Legal Def. Fund v. HVFG, L.L.C., No. 12-5809 (N.D. Cal., order…
-
Federal Court Pares Consumer Fraud Claims in Splenda Essentials® Suit
A federal court in California has granted in part and denied in part the defendants’ motion to dismiss the first amended complaint in a putative class action alleging that the companies falsely label and market Splenda Essentials with Antioxidants®, Splenda Essentials with Fiber® and Splenda Essentials with B Vitamins®. Bronson v. Johnson & Johnson, Inc.,…
-
EC Issues Results of Contaminated Beef Investigation
The European Commission (EC) has released the results of its investigation into beef products contaminated with horsemeat, reporting that 5 percent of tested products were contaminated with horse DNA and 0.5 percent of tested horse carcasses were contaminated with the pain reliever phenylbutazone (bute). The investigation apparently involved 7,259 tests carried out by 27 member…
-
NTP Ginkgo Biloba Report Draws Energy Drink Warning from CSPI
The National Toxicology Program (NTP) recently released its peer-reviewed report on the toxicology and carcinogenesis of Ginkgo biloba, “an herbal remedy and dietary supplement purported to improve memory and brain function.” Based on long-term studies in which researchers “deposited solutions of Ginkgo biloba extract in corn oil directly into the stomachs of male and female…
-
FDA Plans to Double Comment Period on FSMA Implementing Regulations
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg has reportedly informed Senate appropriators that the agency would extend for 120 days the comment period for two proposed rules—one relating to fresh produce and the other to food processors issued in January 2013 to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). According to Hamburg, “We appreciate…
-
FDA Proposes Requirements for Selenium in Infant Formula
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a proposed rule that would add selenium to the list of nutrients required in infant formula as well as establish minimum and maximum levels for the mineral in this context. Under the proposed rule, which recognizes selenium as an essential nutrient, infant formula labels would also need to…
-
Proposal to Include Non-Nutritive Sweeteners in Milk Standard Receives Thousands of Comments
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reportedly received “more than 30,000 comments” in response to its request for information about a petition filed by dairy-industry groups asking the agency to drop special labeling requirements for flavored milks that contain artificial sweeteners such as aspartame. The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk…