Category: Issue 507
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Court Approves Class Certification in Fraud Suit Against Olive Oil Co.
A federal court in New York has certified a consumer-fraud class action against Kangadis Food Inc., d/b/a The Gourmet Factory, alleging that the company falsely labels its products as “100% Pure Olive Oil” when they actually contain the industrially processed substance “olive-pomace oil,” “olive-residue oil” or “Pomace.” Ebin v. Kangadis Food Inc. d/b/a The Gourmet…
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Court Dismisses Claims Against WhiteWave with Prejudice
Citing the settlement of similar class claims in a Florida court and plausibility issues, a federal court in California has dismissed with prejudice a putative class action alleging that companies misbrand products with an evaporated cane juice (ECJ) designation and sell products not meeting the standard of identity for yogurt and milk, including soymilk and…
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Connecticut Governor Holds Ceremonial GM Labeling Bill Signing
While Connecticut enacted legislation (H.B. 6527) in June 2013 requiring that foods containing genetically modified (GM) ingredients be labeled as such, once neighboring states have adopted similar laws, Governor Daniel Malloy (D) held a ceremonial bill signing in a health food café in Fairfield on December 11, 2013. Now known as Public Act 13-183, the…
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EFSA Finds Aspartame Safe at Current Exposure Levels
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources Added to Food (ANS) has published its full risk assessment on aspartame, concluding that the food additive is safe at current levels of exposure. In addition to noting that aspartame’s breakdown products— phenylalanine, methanol and aspartic acid—occur naturally in other foods, EFSA’s…
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FTC Holds Workshop on Native Advertising in Digital Media
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently hosted a workshop on digital native advertising as part its effort to ensure that “consumers can identify advertisements as advertising wherever they appear.” Titled “Blurred Lines: Advertising or Content?,” the workshop examined “the practice of blending advertisements with news, entertainment, and other content in digital media,” bringing together publishers,…
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HHS/USDA Postpone Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Meeting
Due to the recent government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have rescheduled the second meeting of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee for January 13-14, 2014. Among those on the agenda are HHS, USDA and Institute of Medicine representatives, committee members and Food Systems Consultant…
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USDA Terminates National Leafy Green Marketing Agreement
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has terminated proceedings on a proposed marketing agreement that sought to regulate the handling of fresh leafy green vegetables in the United States. Modeled after a 2006 initiative pioneered by California growers in the wake of an E. coli outbreak linked to fresh spinach, the National Leafy Green Marketing…
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FDA Announces Plans to Curtail Antibiotic Use in Farm Animals
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced plans to phase out the use of certain antibiotics in food animals as part of its effort to reserve medically important drugs for the treatment of human infection. Noting that voluntary participation “is the fastest, most efficient way to make these changes,” the agency will partner…