Category: Issue 566
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Sustainability Groups Highlight Water Risks for Food and Beverage Sector
Two new reports from nonprofit advocacy organizations highlight global water risks and urge food and beverage companies to adopt more robust water stewardship practices at every point in the supply chain. Published by Ceres, Feeding Ourselves Thirsty: How the Food Sector Is Managing Global Water Risks “ranks the nation’s 37 largest food companies on how effectively…
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Environmental Groups Release Canada’s Environmental Assessment of GM Salmon
The Center for Food Safety, Food & Water Watch and Friends of the Earth (FOE) have authored a May 28, 2015, letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), claiming that a draft risk assessment conducted by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) questions the health and welfare of AquaBounty Technologies Inc.’s…
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Report Faults EU Regulators for Derailing Debate over Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals
The Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) has alleged that companies used “numerous tactics from the corporate lobbyist playbook” to persuade several European Commission departments to obstruct the Directorate-General of the Environment (DG Environment) in its attempts to regulate endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). In particular, the CEO report claims that groups representing the chemical and plastics sectors…
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Government Agencies Should Define “Natural” to Avoid Inconsistent Court Decisions, Professor Argues
In a recent journal article, a Babson College marketing law professor discusses legal disputes over the labeling of food as “natural,” noting drawbacks of using courts as public policy developers on the issue. Ross D. Petty, “‘Natural’ Claims in Food Advertising: Policy Implications of Filling the Regulatory Void with Consumer Class Action Lawsuits,” Journal of Public…
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California Winery Challenges HBO’s Beer Trademark Application
Franciscan Vineyards has filed an opposition against Home Box Office, Inc.’s (HBO’s) 2014 trademark application for “Three-Eyed Raven,” a beer collaboration between HBO and Ommegang Brewery based on the network’s “Game of Thrones” series. U.S. Trademark Application Serial No. 86309080 (notice of opposition filed May 11, 2015). Franciscan owns trademarks used by Ravenswood Winery, including…
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Heinz Seeks Reversal of TTAB Decision on Smart Balance® Trademark
H.J. Heinz Co. has filed a lawsuit against Boulder Brands USA seeking to vacate and reverse a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) decision finding that the marks representing Heinz’s Weight Watchers Smart Ones® and Boulder’s Smart Balance® are sufficiently distinct, allowing both to exist. H.J. Heinz Co. v. Boulder Brands USA, Inc., No. 15-0681…
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Abbott Labs Faces Proposed Class Action over “Organic” Infant Formula
A group of consumers has filed a putative class action against Abbott Laboratories, Inc. alleging the company misrepresents its Similac Advance® Organic Infant Formulas because several of the ingredients are banned by federal law from use in food labeled “organic.” Marentette v. Abbott Labs., Inc., No. 15-2837 (E.D.N.Y., filed May 15, 2015). The plaintiffs challenge…