Category: Issue
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Missouri Legislature Passes Bill Banning “Clean Meat” Labels
The Missouri legislature has passed an agriculture bill that would prohibit companies from labeling lab-grown and plant-based products as “meat.” The bill bans “misleading or deceptive practices” in the sale of meat, including “misrepresenting a product as meat that is not derived from harvested production livestock or poultry.” Missouri Governor Eric Greitens must sign the…
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OTA Launches Organic Fraud Prevention Program
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) has announced a program that “provides organic businesses with a risk-based approach for developing and implementing a written strategic plan to assure the authenticity of organic products.” Each of the pilot program’s participants “will concentrate on one product or ingredient” or “a specific location” then seek feedback from other stakeholders…
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U.S. House Rejects Farm Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives has voted against the 2018 Farm Bill in a 213-198 vote. Dissenting voters apparently cited a number of issues, with some rejecting the bill’s changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and others protesting the legislature’s failure to enact unrelated immigration measures. Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R- La.) reportedly indicated…
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Federal Court Dismisses Diet Pepsi Putative Class Action
A federal court in New York has dismissed with prejudice a putative class action alleging that Pepsi-Cola Co. falsely and deceptively used the term “diet” for its Diet Pepsi, leading consumers to believe that the beverage would help them lose weight or assist with “healthy weight management.” Manuel v. Pepsi-Cola Co., No. 17-7955 (S.D.N.Y., entered May…
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Plaintiff Alleges Halo Top Ice Cream Labeling is Deceptive
A New York plaintiff alleges Halo Top ice cream is falsely and deceptively labeled because it does not prominently display the term “light” on its labels, purportedly misleading consumers into believing it is regular full-fat ice cream. Berger v. Eden Creamery, LLC, No. 18-2745 (E.D.N.Y., filed May 9, 2018). Among other allegations, the plaintiff asserts that…
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Ferrara Candy Settles Slack Fill Putative Class Action
Ferrara Candy Co. has agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle a putative class action alleging its candy boxes contained an unnecessary amount of slack fill. Iglesias v. Ferrara Candy Co., No. 17-849 (N.D. Cal., motion filed May 10, 2018). Under the agreement, Ferrara will “modify its fill level quality control procedures and target fill levels to…
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Bumble Bee CEO Faces Felony Indictment For Alleged Tuna Price-Fixing
Christopher Lischewski, president and CEO of Bumble Bee Foods, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in California and charged with one count of felony price-fixing for his alleged role in a scheme to fix the price of canned and packaged seafood sold in the United States. U.S. v. Lischewski, No. 18-0203 (N.D. Cal., filed…
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Man Sues Burger King After Being Jailed for $10 Bill
Burger King Corp. faces a civil-rights lawsuit after an employee at a Boston location accused a man of trying to pay for food with an allegedly counterfeit $10 bill, refused to return the bill and called the police when the man would not leave the restaurant. Ellis v. Burger King Corp., No. 1884-CV-01489 (Mass. Super. Ct., Suffolk…