Tag: California
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Grocers File Lawsuit Over BE Standard
The Center for Food Safety and several food retailers have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) alleging that the agency “fell far short of fulfilling the promise of meaningful labeling” of bioengineered (BE) foods with its 2019 labeling rules. Natural Grocers v. Perdue, No. 20-5151 (N.D. Cal., filed July 27, 2020).…
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Plaintiff Alleges Kroger Underfills Coffee Cans
A plaintiff has filed a putative class action asserting that The Kroger Co.’s ground coffee packaging and labeling mislead consumers as to the amount of cups of coffee they can produce. Lorentzen v. Kroger Co., No. 20-6754 (C.D. Cal., filed July 28, 2020). “The scheme is straightforward,” the complaint alleges. “Defendant sells the Products with…
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Californians Can Buy Out-of-State Foie Gras, Court Rules
A California court has reportedly ruled that Californians can buy foie gras from out-of-state sellers and have it delivered within the state to avoid the state’s ban on sales or gifts of foie gras. The ruling applies only to individual purchasers, as restaurants and retailers are still prohibited from selling foie gras, according to the Associated…
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Kern’s Nectar Not “100% Natural” Because of Malic Acid, Plaintiff Argues
A consumer has filed putative class action alleging that Vilore Foods Co. Inc. misleadingly marketed Kern’s Nectar canned beverages as natural because they contain malic acid, “a synthetic chemical that is used to make manufactured food products taste like real fruit.” Gross v. Vilore Foods Co. Inc., No. 20-0894 (S.D. Cal., filed May 13, 2020).…
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Humane Society Challenges USDA Pandemic Standards for Bird Flu Mitigation
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has filed a lawsuit arguing that a 2015 assessment issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) “ignores the most logical alternative” in determining the national approach to combating avian influenza in poultry-production facilities. Humane Society of U.S. v. USDA, No. 20-3258 (C.D. Cal., W. Div., filed…
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California to Provide Food Industry Employees with Paid Sick Leave
California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that the state will provide workers in the food sector—including farmworkers and employees at grocery stores and fast food restaurants—with two weeks of paid sick leave. The order aims to “fill[] a gap left by federal relief that had provided similar paid leave benefits for employers with fewer than…
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Center for Food Safety Challenges Organic Certification for Hydroponic Food
The Center for Food Safety (CFS) and several agricultural firms have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) challenging the agency’s denial of the group’s petition seeking to ban organic certification of hydroponic food growers. Ctr. for Food Safety v. Perdue, No. 20-1537 (N.D. Cal., filed March 2, 2020). USDA denied CFS’s…
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Honey Purchasers Granted Certification
A California federal court has granted certification to a class of consumers who purchased honey from one of the brands produced by the Sioux Honey Association who believed the honey to be “pure” or “100% pure. Tran v. Sioux Honey Ass’n, No. 17-0110 (C.D. Cal., entered February 24, 2020). The plaintiff asserts that the honey…