Category: Issue 686
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Senate Bill to Investigate PFAS Introduced
Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) have introduced legislation that would providing funding for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct environmental sampling for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which can be used in food packaging. According to the senators’ press release, “There are more than 3,000 chemicals containing PFAS…
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GFI Challenges Missouri Definition of “Meat”
The Good Food Institute (GFI) and Tofurky Co. have filed a civil-rights action alleging that Missouri “criminalizes truthful speech by prohibiting ‘misrepresenting’ a product as ‘meat’ if that product is ‘not derived from harvested production livestock or poultry.’” Turtle Island Foods v. Richardson, No. 18-4173 (W.D. Mo., filed August 27, 2018). The lawsuit responds to…
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Court Dismisses Aspartame Claims Against Diet Dr Pepper
A California federal court has dismissed with prejudice a putative class action alleging that Diet Dr Pepper is falsely advertised as a weight-loss product. Becerra v. Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc., No. 17-5921 (N.D. Cal., entered August 21, 2018). The plaintiff alleged that the term “diet” leads consumers to believe the beverage is a weight-loss or weight-management…
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ASA Denies Doritos Ad Complaint
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has declined to uphold a complaint arguing that Walkers Snacks targeted children under 16 with a product high in fat, salt or sugar by showing an advertisement for Doritos before YouTube videos. The complaint asserted that the “media or context” of the ad targeted children under 16, but ASA…
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Plaintiffs Question Nutritional Benefits of Jamba Juice Smoothies
Jamba Inc. and Jamba Juice Co. face a putative class action alleging the company’s advertising deceives and misleads consumers about the nutritional value and ingredients of its smoothie beverages. Turner v. Jamba, Inc., No. 18-5168 (N.D. Cal., filed August 23, 2018). The plaintiffs allege that Jamba’s smoothies contain more sugars than typical sodas or soft…
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“Organic” Salt Does Not Exist, Complaints Allege
A plaintiff has filed two putative class actions alleging the manufacturers of “organic salt” violate consumer-protection laws against deceptive advertising because salt is an inorganic mineral that “cannot be identified as organic” pursuant to the National Organic Program. Garcia v. HimalaSalt-Sustainable Sourcing, LLC, No. 18-7410 (C.D. Cal., filed August 23, 2018); Garcia v. Frontier Natural Prods.…
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The Guardian Reports on Vanilla, Cream Content in U.K. Ice Cream
A U.K. television show has aired a report on the ingredients in locally available vanilla ice creams, finding that many products do not contain cream, fresh milk or vanilla. “One in five of the ice-creams examined by Which? contained none of the three ingredients shoppers might reasonably expect to find in vanilla ice-cream,” The Guardian reports.…