Category: Issue 641
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Scottish Brewery Loses Bid to Keep “Elvis Juice” Beer Name
Scottish brewery BrewDog lost its battle to call one of its craft beers “Elvis Juice” when the U.K. Intellectual Property Office ruled that Elvis Presley’s estate still owns a trademark for “Elvis” beer. BrewDog released the grapefruit IPA in 2015, and the U.K. trademark owner, Authentic Brands Group, filed an infringement notice. The administrative body…
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Salsa Maker Alleges Adulterated Tortilla Chips Caused Stroke, Emotional Distress
A Texas man alleges the tortilla chips provided for his food demonstrations were rancid and adulterated with a salt shaker and a dirty napkin, threatening his business relationships and causing him emotional distress. Henry’s Dream Distrib. v. El Matador Foods, No. 2017-46884 (Tex. Dist. Ct., Harris Cty., filed July 14, 2017). The plaintiff asserts that…
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Consumer Challenges Watermelon Beverage Ingredients, Production Process
World Waters, maker of WTRMLN WTR, faces a proposed class action alleging its product labeling misleads consumers into believing that the products contain mostly watermelon juice and that the beverages are “cold-pressed” rather than heat-pasteurized. Pizzirusso v. World Waters, No. 17-4071 (E.D.N.Y., filed July 8, 2017). The plaintiff first asserts that World Water “overstates” the…
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Mislabeled Pizza Suit Can Proceed Against Whole Foods
A Tennessee federal court has ruled that a personal-injury lawsuit against Whole Foods Market can proceed because the plaintiffs did not plead that they were “practicing vegans” and therefore could not be expected to know that a vegan pizza product might contain nuts. Jones v. WFM-WO, No. 17-0749 (M.D. Tenn., order entered July 17, 2017).…
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Europol Arrests 66 in Horsemeat Investigation
Europol has announced the arrests of 66 people following a four-year investigation into an organized-crime group accused of selling horsemeat “not suitable for consumption” as beef products. The investigation began in 2013 after Irish authorities found products sold as beef burgers that contained horsemeat and led to a Dutch man in Spain alleged to be…
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GE Salmon Bill Introduced in U.S. Senate
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced a bill that would require labeling of genetically engineered (GE) salmon and independent scientific review of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s environmental assessment of GE fish produced for human consumption. “The primary purpose of this bill is to ensure that consumers have all the facts and…