Category: Issue 748
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Mexican States Ban Sale of “Junk Food” to Minors
The legislatures of multiple Mexican states have voted to prohibit the sale of highly processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages to anyone under the age of 18, according to the Washington Post. A nationwide labeling law that takes effect in October 2020 will also require black stop signs on foods high in added sugar, saturated fats, calories…
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Study Assesses Consumer Perception of “Whole Grain” Labeling
University of Cambridge researchers have published a study examining “whether consumers are misled about wholegrain (WG) content and product healthfulness based on common product labels.” Wilde et al., “Consumer confusion about wholegrain content and healthfulness in product labels: a discrete choice experiment and comprehension assessment,” Public Health Nutrition, August 10, 2020. The researchers showed online participants…
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Trader Joe’s 12 Grain Crackers Contain Less Grain Than Expected, Plaintiff Argues
A plaintiff has filed a lawsuit asserting that Trader Joe’s misleads consumers by using “enriched flour” as the predominant ingredient in its 12 Grain Mini Snack Crackers. Rosenfeld v. Trader Joe’s Co., No. 20-3717 (E.D.N.Y., filed August 14, 2020). “The representations are misleading because the Product contains (1) a de minimis amount of the 12 grain…
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Consumer Challenges Smoked Gouda Preparation
A consumer has filed a putative class action alleging that Dietz & Watson’s smoked gouda is not prepared by smoking but rather by the addition of a smoke flavor. Watson v. Dietz & Watson Inc., No. 20-6550 (S.D.N.Y., filed August 17, 2020). “No reasonable consumer would be instinctively distrustful or skeptical of a product labeled ‘Smoked…
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DEA Submits Proposed Rule on Implementing 2018 Farm Bill’s Hemp Legalization
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has proposed a rule that would codify the legalization of hemp cultivation and related definitions passed in the 2018 Farm Bill into the Controlled Substances Act. The amendments include (i) modifying federal rules to state that “the definition of ‘Tetrahydrocannabinols’ does not include ‘any material, compound, mixture, or preparation…
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FSIS Announces Meat Inspection Committee Meeting
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced a virtual public meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) on September 24-25, 2020. The objectives are “for the Committee to review and advise about the steps FSIS should take to ensure better control of artisanal,…