Category: Issue 569
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FDA Revokes GRAS Status of Partially Hydrogenated Oils
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a determination revoking the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status of partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), “the primary dietary source of industrially-produced trans fatty acids.” To comply with the declaratory order, food and beverage companies must remove PHOs from products by June 18, 2018, or request food…
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TV Documentary Alleges Some French Cheeses Produced Without Fresh Milk
French restaurateurs and food critics are calling for new food-labeling rules after a documentary airing on France 2 reported that some of the country’s food manufacturers have been using vegetable fat-based substitutes for fresh milk when producing cheese products. In “Artificial Cheese on Your Plate” (“Du Faux Fromage Dans Votre Assiette”), cheese producers are reportedly…
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Public Health Attorney Publishes Report Condemning ASN’s Ties with Industry
“In order to bolster its credibility, reflect objective science that has the public’s best interest in mind, and hold the food industry more accountable, it is paramount that ASN reconsider its financial ties to the junk food industry,” concludes public health lawyer and activist Michele Simon in an investigation that purports to expose conflicts of…
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White Chocolate False Ad Suit Filed Against Ghirardelli in Puerto Rico
A consumer has filed a putative class action against Ghirardelli alleging that the company deceptively advertised its white chocolate products as containing chocolate, white chocolate or cocoa butter. Vega-Encarnacion v. Ghirardelli Chocolate Co., No. 15-1821 (D.P.R., filed June 16, 2015). Three of the products at issue in the complaint were the subjects of an October…
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Consumer Putative Class Action Targets McCormick’s Alleged Slack-Filled Pepper Tins
Echoing a lawsuit brought a week earlier by a competitor in the pepper category, a consumer has filed a proposed class action against McCormick & Co. alleging that the company underfills its tins of black pepper because it reduced the pepper in each tin by 25 percent but retained the traditional packaging size. Dupler v.…
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Heinz Frozen Tater Tots and Fries Contain Trans Fats, Putative Class Action Alleges
A consumer has filed a putative class action against H.J. Heinz Co. alleging that the company’s frozen microwave French fries and tater tots contain partially hydrogenated oil (PHO), which contains artificial trans fat, despite packaging that indicates the products contain “0g trans fat.” Backus v. H.J. Heinz Co., No. 15-2738 (N.D. Cal., filed June 18,…
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Claim Dismissal Affirmed in Twinings “Antioxidant” Lawsuit
A California federal court has confirmed its ruling that a plaintiff in a class action against Twinings North America cannot pursue her claim of unjust enrichment because it duplicates her consumer protection claims. Lanovaz v. Twinings N. Am., No. 12-2646 (N.D. Cal., order entered June 10, 2015). Details about the court’s previous rulings narrowing the claims…
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Skinnygirl® Plaintiffs Denied Class Certification
A New Jersey federal court has again denied class certification to a trio of women suing Beam Global Spirits & Wine for allegedly misrepresenting Skinnygirl® Margaritas as using “only natural ingredients” despite containing sodium benzoate. Stewart v. Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc., No. 11-5149 (D.N.J., order entered June 8, 2015). Details about the court’s…