Food & Beverage Litigation & Regulatory Update

Category: Federal Trade Commission

  • Advocacy Groups Challenge Smithfield Foods Sustainability Marketing

    A coalition of advocacy groups has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asserting that Smithfield Foods misleadingly markets its pork products as “produced in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way” despite the company’s production methods allegedly falling “far below the level of environmental sustainability that a reasonable consumer would expect based on…

  • FDA, FTC Warn CBD Company for Unsubstantiated Claims

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have announced a joint warning letter sent to Rooted Apothecary LLC focused on the potential benefits that the company claimed its cannabidiol (CBD) products could provide. “The Agency continues to be concerned about the proliferation of products asserting to contain CBD that are…

  • FTC Issues Warning Letters to CBD Companies

    The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has announced that it sent warning letters to three companies selling “oils, tinctures, capsules, ‘gummies,’ and creams containing cannabidiol (CBD), a chemical compound derived from the cannabis plant.” The announcement notes that the letters warn the companies—which have not been identified—that “it is illegal to advertise that a product can…

  • FTC Workshop Focuses on “Made in USA” Claims

    The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will hold a public workshop to consider “Made in USA” product claims on September 26, 2019. In advance, FTC is requesting comments on several questions, including: (i) “What rationales underlie consumer preferences for products made in USA?”; (ii) “When consumers see product advertisements or labels stating or implying that…

  • Hydrox Maker Files FTC Complaint on Alleged Mondelez Tactics

    Leaf Brands, which manufactures and sells Hydrox cookies, has reportedly filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleging anti-competitive practices by Mondelez, which produces Oreos. In a social media post, Leaf Brands alleges that Mondelez has been “undertaking a national program to damage our brand and stop us from competing,” including “trying to…

  • DeLauro Asks GAO To Review Regulatory Framework for Lab-Grown Foods

    U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) has sent a letter asking the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine the regulatory framework for cell-cultured food products. According to the letter, such food products include lab-grown meat and “animal-free” milk that can be produced from fermented yeast and proteins in cow’s milk. DeLauro requested a “comprehensive review”…

  • FTC Issues Agenda for PrivacyCon 2017

    The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) second public forum targeting the privacy and security implications of emerging technologies will cover topics that include (i) the Internet of Things and big data, (ii) mobile privacy, (iii) consumer privacy expectations, (iv) online behavioral advertising, and (v) information security. Slated for January 12, 2017, at the FTC’s Constitution Center…

  • FTC Approves Order to Preserve Supermarket Competition

    The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved a modified final order settling charges that the $28-billion merger of Delhaize Group NV/SA and Koninklijke Ahold N.V. would be anticompetitive. In re Koninklije Ahold N.V., No. C-4588 (F.T.C., order entered October 14, 2016). According to the modified order, the companies must divest 81 stores—including locations of Giant,…