Food & Beverage Litigation & Regulatory Update

Category: Scientific/Technical Items

  • Dutch Marketing for Functional Food Product Reveals Regulatory Shortcomings

    Dutch social and political science professors have presented a case study on marketing a functional food in the European Union (EU) to demonstrate that nontextual marketing, which the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is apparently ill-equipped to regulate, plays a larger role in consumer purchasing decisions than textual product messages. Herman Lelieveldt and Cris Boonen,…

  • Dietary Quality of Fast-Food Menus Criticized

    A study evaluating “five popular fast-food chains’ menus in relation to dietary guidance” has allegedly concluded that despite varied offerings, full menus “scored lower than 50 out of 100 possible points on the HEI-2005 [Healthy Eating Index- 2005].” Sharon Kilpatrick, et al., “Fast-food menu offerings vary in dietary quality, but are consistently poor,” Public Health…

  • SSB Intake Allegedly Alters Cardiometabolic Markers in Children

    A recent analysis of young children enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2004 has reportedly claimed that sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption “was independently associated with alterations in lipid profiles, increased markers of inflammation, and increased waist circumference in children.” Ethan Kosova, et al., “The Relationships between Sugar Sweetened Beverage Intake and…

  • New Study Reexamines Role of Egg Consumption in Coronary Heart Disease

    A recent meta-analysis has reportedly concluded that, contrary to previous assumptions, “higher consumption of eggs (up to one egg per day) is not associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease [CHD] or stroke.” Ying Rong, et al., “Egg consumption and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies,”…

  • New Article Targets Food Addiction, Adolescent Obesity in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

    Focusing on recent research into food addiction, a review article published in the Journal of Adolescent Health discusses “the need for multilevel interventions that go beyond simple behavioral approaches” in low- and middle-income counties (LMICs) with increasing adolescent obesity rates. Albert Lee and Susannah Gibbs, “Neurobiology of Food Addiction and Adolescent Obesity Prevention in Low-…

  • FDA Study Examines Nutrition Facts Labeling

    Food and Drug Administration (FDA) researchers recently published a study claiming that consumers found it easier to compare food items with singleserving or dual-column nutrition facts (NF) labels as opposed to the NF labels currently in use. Lando and Lo, “Single-LargerPortion-Size and Dual-Column Nutrition Labeling May Help Consumers Make More Healthful Food Choices,” Journal of the…

  • Weight Bias in the Courtroom Focus of New Study

    A recent study investigating weight bias in the courtroom has apparently concluded that both the “weight and gender of a defendant may affect juror perceptions of guilt and responsibility.” N. A. Schvey, et al., “The influence of a defendant’s body weight on perceptions of guilt,” International Journal of Obesity, January 2013. The study relied on…

  • ER Visits Due to Energy Drinks Reportedly on the Rise

    New research from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reportedly indicates that the number of emergency room (ER) visits involving energy drinks has doubled nationwide—from about 10,000 to more than 20,000—from 2007 to 2011. The statistics were gathered through the Drug Abuse Warning Network. “Consumption of energy drinks is a rising public…