Category: Other Developments
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Amazon Enters Farmers Market, Alcohol Sectors
With the launch of services targeting the grocery and alcoholic beverage segments, Amazon.com, Inc., has garnered media attention for its latest forays into a new and competitive marketplace. In a September 1, 2015, article, The Los Angeles Times compares Amazon’s Farmers Market Direct program to other food delivery startups aiming to bring fresh local products…
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AAJ Report Decries Food Industry, Promotes Civil Justice System as “Mechanism for Deterring Negligent Behavior”
“American consumers expect and deserve safe food. Yet, time and again, food producers have cut corners on food safety knowing full well that tainted products cause serious illness or even death,” asserted American Association for Justice (AAJ) President Larry Tawwater in issuing a report condemning industry for allegedly prioritizing profits over people. The report contends that…
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American Egg Board Campaigned Against Just Mayo, Emails Reveal
Weeks after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent Hampton Creek Foods a letter warning that its Just Mayo is misbranded because it does not contain eggs, emails obtained through the Freedom of Information Act reportedly indicate that the American Egg Board (AEB) and a public relations firm made a concerted effort to remove…
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Rudd Center Claims Food and Beverage Marketing Targets Black and Hispanic Youth
The University of Connecticut Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity has issued a report claiming that food companies “disproportionately target their TV advertising for fast food, candy, sugary drink and snack brands to black and Hispanic consumers.” Focusing on restaurant, food and beverage companies that spent at least $100 million on advertising in 2013…
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U.K. Group Issues Report Critical of Government Action on Sugar
Britain’s Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has published a report condemning government policies aimed at reducing the consumption of sugar. “Just as fat seems to have been given an amnesty, so sugar is now in the dock,” according to report co-authors Rob Lyons and Christopher Snowdon. “So what exactly is the evidence that sugar is…
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Salt-Reduction Strategies Focus of Upcoming Webinar
“Pass (on) the Salt: The Business Case for Sodium Reduction” is the title of a July 29, 2015, webinar organized by California-based law and policy group ChangeLab Solutions. Program faculty, including two ChangeLab staff attorneys, will reportedly discuss various institutional (e.g., state governments, hospitals) initiatives to limit the number of salty foods provided or available…
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As You Sow Praises Pollinator Protection Policies
Shareholder advocacy group As You Sow has reportedly withdrawn a shareholder resolution after General Mills Inc. agreed to “consolidate and disseminate guidance to growers of key commodities such as corn and soy on how to protect and minimize the impact of neonicotinoids and other pesticides to pollinators.” According to a July 8, 2015, press release,…
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Chicago and Allstate Partner to Predict Food Safety Violations
With help from an Allstate Insurance research team, the City of Chicago has reportedly developed a model to predict which food establishments might fail inspections among the more than 15,000 restaurants within the city’s jurisdiction. The research teams analyzed nearly 100,000 sanitation inspection reports to create the prediction model, which assesses the likelihood that a…