Food & Beverage Litigation & Regulatory Update

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Food & Beverage Litigation & Regulatory Update

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  • Lawsuit Alleges Gorton’s Inc. Misleads on “Sustainably Sourced” Tilapia

    Two consumers have filed a putative class action alleging Gorton’s Inc. has misled consumers about the environmental impact of the fish it sells. Spindel v. Gorton’s Inc., No. 22-10599 (D. Mass., filed April 21, 2022). “Gorton’s claims about sustainability lead consumers to believe that the Products are ‘sustainably sourced.’ Consumer research demonstrates that claims like Gorton’s…

  • Godiva Class Action Settled for $7.5 Million

    The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has given final approval to a $7.5 million settlement in a lawsuit alleging that Godiva Chocolatier Inc.’s packaging misled consumers into believing all of its chocolate was produced in Belgium. Hesse v. Godiva Chocolatier Inc., No. 19-0972 (S.D.N.Y., order entered April 20, 2022). The approval…

  • Politico Investigates FDA’s Actions on Food

    Politico has published a report on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) based on more than 50 interviews with current and former employees of the agency, including former FDA commissioners. “There is a remarkable level of consensus that the agency is simply not working,” states the report. “Current and former officials and industry professionals…

  • FDA Issues Draft Guidance on Non-Major Food Allergens

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued draft guidance on how it will evaluate the public health importance of a food allergen not listed as a major food allergen. Topics in the guidance include (i) scientific factors FDA will consider; (ii) what types of information will be relevant to the labeling and production…

  • Ninth Circuit Upholds Injunction on California Acrylamide Warning

    The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has found that the district court did not abuse its discretion in granting a preliminary injunction blocking a requirement to warn California consumers about the presence of acrylamide in food and beverage products. Cal. Chamber of Com. v. Council for Education and Research on Toxics, No. 19-2019 (9th Cir.,…

  • Chocolate Lawsuit Preempted by FDCA, Court Rules

    An Illinois federal court has dismissed a lawsuit alleging Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Inc. misled consumers by describing its ice cream bars as coated in milk chocolate when the chocolate contained coconut oil. Zurliene v. Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Inc., No. 21-0747 (S.D. Ill., entered March 17, 2022). The complaint, brought under the Illinois Consumer Fraud…

  • Johnson to Present a Year in Review on Food and Dietary Supplement Regulations

    Shook Of Counsel John Johnson III will co-present “Food and Dietary Supplement Regulation Year-in-Review” on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, at the Food and Dietary Supplement Safety and Regulation Conference. The conference, which takes place March 30-31, will be presented virtually by the Food and Drug Law Institute. “This session will recap the most significant recent…

  • FDA to Research Use of “Healthy” Symbol

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it will conduct quantitative consumer research on the use of “voluntary symbols that could be used in the future to convey the nutrient content claim ‘healthy.’” The agency is simultaneously “developing a proposed rule that would update when manufacturers may use the ‘healthy’ nutrient content…

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