Food & Beverage Litigation & Regulatory Update

Category: Other Developments

  • Kelly Brownell to Lead Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy

    Duke University has announced the selection of Kelly Brownell, who currently directs Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, as dean of its Sanford School of Public Policy. According to a January 30, 2013, news release, Brownell will replace the Sanford School’s founding dean, Bruce Kuniholm, as head of undergraduate and graduate studies,…

  • PepsiCo to Remove BVO from Gatorade

    Apparently motivated in part by an online petition started by a 15-year-old from Mississippi, PepsiCo has reportedly decided to remove brominated vegetable oil (BVO), a flame retardant, from Gatorade®. Sarah Kavanagh posted the petition on Change.org after she read about studies linking BVO to possible health effects, and it was signed by more than 200,000…

  • Organic Grocery Chain Bans Products with Cartoon Packaging

    In an effort to combat marketing to children, a Washington, D.C.-based organic grocer has stopped stocking products whose packaging features cartoon characters from books, movies and TV programs. According to a MOM’s Organic Market news release, products such as Dora the Explorer frozen soybeans will be replaced with alternatives in cartoon-free packaging. “Marketing to children…

  • ISSN Takes Stand on Energy Drinks

    The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) has issued a position statement on energy drinks (ED) and energy shots (ES), claiming that “given the number of servings of these products that are consumed daily, the rate of adverse events appears low in the population of consumers.” Bill Campell, et al., “International Society of Sports Nutrition…

  • Australian Health Organizations Campaign Against Sugary Drinks

    Cancer Council, Diabetes Australia and the National Heart Foundation of Australia have issued recommendations about the sale and availability of sugar-sweetened beverages as well as launched a new public service announcement titled “Rethink Sugary Drinks.” According to a January 17, 2013, press release, the three organizations “have called for immediate action by governments, schools and…

  • Hastings Center Scholar Calls for Shaming the Obese to Address Epidemic

    In a paper titled “Obesity: Chasing an Elusive Epidemic,” Hastings Center Scholar and President Emeritus Daniel Callahan calls for a combination of measures to stop what he calls “the most difficult and elusive public health problem this country has ever encountered.” Contending that current initiatives have failed to stem the tide, Callahan includes “social pressure…

  • Dietitian Organization Riddled with “Big Food” Support, New Report Alleges

    Food activist and attorney Michele Simon has issued a report that explores the relationship between the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) and corporations such as Kellogg, General Mills, PepsiCo, and Nestlé that make what Simon characterizes as unhealthy food and beverages. Titled “And Now a Word From Our Sponsors: Are America’s Nutrition Professionals in…

  • AP-NORC Surveys Public Opinion on Obesity-Related Issues

    A recent survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research (AP-NORC) indicates that even though Americans apparently understand many of the reasons behind increasing rates of obesity and the alleged link between obesity and chronic health conditions, people are split on their support for government policies that would affect consumers’ food and…