Food & Beverage Litigation & Regulatory Update

Category: Issue 519

  • Discovery of New Listeria Species May Improve Food Testing

    Cornell University researchers have reportedly identified five new species of Listeria that they suggest could provide new insights leading to better methods of detecting soil bacteria in food. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the research was part of a larger study led by scientists at Colorado State University and Cornell to examine the…

  • Coffee Found to Reduce Non-Viral Cirrhosis Risk

    A recent study has reportedly demonstrated “the protective effect of coffee on non-viral hepatitis-related cirrhosis mortality.” George Boon-Bee Goh, et al., “Coffee, alcohol and other beverages in relation to cirrhosis mortality: the Singapore Chinese Health study,” Hepatology, April 2014. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, researchers examined diet, lifestyle and medical history data from…

  • Study Reexamines Effect of Sodium Intake on Health

    A recent study has purportedly claimed that “both low sodium intakes and high sodium intakes are associated with increased mortality,” raising questions about sodium consumption guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other health authorities. Niels Graudal, et al., “Compared with Usual Sodium Intake, Low- and Excessive-Sodium Diets are Associated…

  • David Karp, “Is the Lime an Endangered Species?,” The New York Times, March 29, 2014

    A recent New York Times article highlighting the apparent fragility of the lime harvest has blamed a recent shortage on “weather, disease and even Mexican criminals,” warning that increased wholesale prices have only compounded the problem. According to citrus researcher David Karp, a citrus greening disease known as huanglongbing (HLB) has already infiltrated groves in…

  • Mother Jones Investigates Safety of BPA-Free Plastics

    “Today many plastic products, from sippy cups and blenders to Tupperware containers, are marketed as BPA-free. But [George Bittner’s] findings—some of which have been confirmed by other scientists—suggest that many of these alternatives share the qualities that make BPA [bisphenol A] so potentially harmful,” writes Mariah Blake in a new investigative report examining the purported…

  • Court Allows Most Claims in LFTB Suit to Proceed

    A South Dakota court has determined that most of the claims filed by the makers of lean finely textured beef (LFTB) against ABC News, certain news correspondents, including Diane Sawyer, and former U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) employees may proceed. Beef Prods., Inc. v. Am. Broadcasting Cos., Inc., No. 12-292 (Union Cty. Cir. Ct., S.D., order…

  • Tennessee Whiskey Maker Challenges Storage Law

    Diageo Americas Supply, Inc. has filed a declaratory judgment action against the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission director challenging the constitutionality of a 1937 law that requires licensed alcohol beverage makers in the state to store their products “only within the county authorizing the operation or in a county adjacent to the county authorizing the manufacturing…

  • Food Labeling Claims Against Costco Narrowed

    A federal court in California has dismissed the claims of one named plaintiff in a putative class action alleging that certain Costco Kirkland branded products are misbranded and deceptive, and narrowed the claims of the other named plaintiff. Thomas v. Costco Wholesale Corp., No. 1202908 (N.D. Cal., order entered March 31, 2014). The plaintiff whose…