Category: Global Courts
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Preliminary EU Ruling Says Honey with GMO Is Not Authorized
According to an advocate general opinion, which is not binding on the European Union (EU) Court of Justice, honey that contains genetically modified organisms (GMOs) due to the proximity of the hives to experimental GMO maize fields is considered a food produced from a GMO and therefore cannot be marketed unless authorized. Heinz Bablock v.…
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India Supreme Court Requests Removal of Industry Reps from Safety Enforcement Panels
Ruling on a request by a non-governmental organization (NGO), two supreme court justices in India have reportedly asked the government to remove food and soft drink company representatives from food-safety standards and enforcement panels. According to the justices, the industry representation clearly breaches the mandate of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Under the…
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EU Confectioners Not Entitled to Trademark for Chocolate Rabbits and Reindeer
Having considered the matter for some six years, the General Court of the European Union (EU) has determined that chocolate makers Lindt & Sprüngli AG and August Storck AG cannot register certain three-dimensional shapes, their colored wrappings and ribbons as European Community trademarks. According to the court, chocolate rabbits, reindeer, bells, and mice “cannot be…
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Brazilian Court Orders McDonald’s to Compensate Former Manager for Weight Gain
According to a news source, a Brazilian judge has ordered McDonald’s Corp. to pay one of its former franchise managers US$17,500 because he gained 65 pounds over the 12 years he worked for the company. He reportedly claimed that he was required to sample all of the restaurant’s foods everyday to ensure their quality, and…
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Poultry-Import and COOL Disputes on WTO Calendar
The United States has reportedly decided not to file an appeal from a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that its ban on Chinese poultry imports, imposed in 2004 upon fears of an avian flu outbreak, was illegal. According to a news source, this ends the trade dispute. While the legislative ban expired within five years,…
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WTO Rules Against U.S. Ban on Chinese Poultry
A World Trade Organization (WTO) panel has determined that the United States has violated its trade obligations by refusing to allow Chinese chicken parts into the U.S. market, an action that was apparently taken in a 2009 federal spending bill that denied the use of any U.S. Department of Agriculture funding to establish or implement…
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Russian Seed Bank May Be Spared
After a Russian court approved the transfer to a housing development foundation of land outside St. Petersburg where more than 6,000 varieties of fruits and berries are grown, scientists fearing the loss of a major seed bank were reportedly heartened to learn that President Dmitry Medvedev has taken an interest in the matter and ordered…
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Chinese Officials Arrest Dairy Personnel in New Melamine Contamination Scandal
After Chinese food safety authorities recently found milk powder laced with melamine, police have reportedly arrested three officials from the Dongyuan Dairy Factory in Qinghai province and three dairy suppliers from Hebei province. Another 41 suspects have apparently been detained. More than 225 tons of contaminated milk powder have been seized, and authorities believe it…