Category: Issue 563
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Danish Study Allegedly Links PFAS Exposure to Increased Miscarriage Risk
A study involving 2,874 pregnant women enrolled in the Odense Child Cohort has noted “significant associations” between serum concentrations of perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFASs) and miscarriage. Tina Kold Jensen, et al., “Association between Perfluorinated Compound Exposure and Miscarriage in Danish Pregnant Women,” PLOS One, April 2015. According to the study, two types of PFASs—perfluorooctanoic acid…
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Reduced Daily Soft Drink Consumption Linked to Decreased Diabetes Risk
University of Cambridge researchers report that replacing one soft drink per day with water or unsweetened coffee/tea reduced the incidence of diabetes by 14 to 25 percent in a prospective cohort of 25,639 adults enrolled in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Laura O’Connor, et al., “Prospective associations and population impact of sweet beverage…
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Vodka Maker Argues Against MDL in “Handmade” Labeling Dispute
Fifth Generation, Inc., maker of Tito’s® Handmade Vodka, has filed an opposition to a motion to consolidate eight proposed class actions alleging the vodka is mislabeled as “handmade” because it is manufactured with an automated process. In re Tito’s Handmade Vodka Mktg. & Sales Practices Litig., MDL No. 2634 (J.P.M.L., motion filed April 28, 2015). The…
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Texas Settles Alamo Trademark Suit with Beer Cos.
Texas has settled a trademark dispute with Alamo Beer Co. and Old 300 Brewing after the state intervened in Alamo Beer’s lawsuit alleging Old 300 infringed its trademarked Alamo silhouette. Alamo Beer Co. v. Old 300 Brewing, LLC, No. 14-285 (W.D. Tex., consent order entered April 28, 2015). According to court documents, the settlement establishes that…
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Suit Challenging Smart Balance® Cholesterol-Blocking Claims to Continue
A California federal court has denied Boulder Brands, Inc.’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that the company misrepresents the cholesterol-blocking effect of the plant sterols in its Smart Balance® butter products because the amount of plant sterols is “not enough to generate a ‘clinically meaningful cholesterol blocking effect.’” Mitchell v. Boulder Brands, Inc., No. 12-1862…
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Vermont GMO Labeling Law to Take Effect as Scheduled; Case to Continue
A Vermont federal court has denied a preliminary injunction that would have prevented from taking effect the nation’s first state law requiring the labeling of food products manufactured with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Grocery Mfrs. Ass’n v. Sorrell, No. 14-0117 (D. Vt., order entered April 27, 2015). Several food industry groups challenged the statute’s provisions…
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California Senate Health Committee Rejects SSB Warning Label Proposal
Proposed legislation (S.B. 203) that would have required all sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) containing more than 75 calories per 12-ounce serving to carry safety warnings has failed to garner the requisite five votes needed to clear the California Senate Health Committee and move forward in the legislative process. Introduced by Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel), the Sugar-Sweetened…
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Mad Cow Disease Risk on the Agenda of Upcoming TSE Advisory Committee Meeting
The Food and Drug Administration has announced a June 1, 2015, public meeting of the Transmissable Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE) Advisory Committee in Silver Spring, Maryland. Presentations at the meeting will reportedly target the (i) current bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) “situation” domestically and worldwide; (ii) U.S. Department of Agriculture’s regulatory approaches to decreasing the risk of…