Tag: chocolate
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Andrew Korfhage, “The Chocolate You Eat Is Likely Made by Enslaved Children,” AlterNet, October 18, 2010
“Sorry to scare you, but on Halloween much of the chocolate Americans will hand out to trick-or-treaters will be tainted by the labor of enslaved children,” writes Andrew Korfhage in this October 18, 2010, AlterNet article alleging that chocolate manufacturers have failed to eradicate child labor practices as promised. According to the author, Hershey’s and…
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Florida Considers Ban on Chocolate Milk, Sugary Drinks in Schools
The Florida Board of Education is reportedly considering a ban on chocolate milk and sugary beverages in the state’s public schools. Board members evidently tabled the issue last spring in anticipation of federal government action, but recently decided to move forward to hear opinions from physicians and researchers on whether such a ban would improve…
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Chocolate Drink Makers Sued for Alleged Misleading Marketing Claims
The attorneys for a woman who recently reportedly sued General Mills for failing to properly disclose that its fruit snack products contain partially hydrogenated oil also represent a man who has filed similar claims against the companies that make and sell Yoo-Hoo®, a chocolate beverage. Dahl v. Mott’s LLP, No. __ (E.D.N.Y., filed June 29,…
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Hershey Co. Claims Brownie Baking Pan Infringes Its Product Configuration Trademark
Pennsylvania-based chocolate maker Hershey Co. has filed a Lanham Act lawsuit against Williams-Sonoma Inc., alleging that the kitchen product retailer is marketing and selling a baking pan that infringes Hershey’s “Chocolate Bar Design Mark,” a purportedly distinctive rectangle scored into 12 smaller rectangles. The Hershey Co. v. Williams-Sonoma, Inc., No. 10-1011 (M.D. Pa., filed May 12,…
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Wholesaler Sues Chocolate Companies Alleging Price Fixing
Supervalu, Inc. has filed an antitrust action against a number of chocolate manufacturers, alleging that they conspired to fix chocolate candy prices and overcharged the plaintiff for these products from 2002 through 2008. Supervalu, Inc. v. The Hershey Co., No. 10-1354 (E.D. Pa., filed March 29, 2010). The complaint outlines the chocolate companies’ sales during the…
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Chocolate Price-Fixing Case Certified for Appeal to Federal Appeals Court
A federal court in Pennsylvania has certified for immediate appeal its denial of the defendants’ motion to dismiss in multidistrict litigation (MDL) alleging price-fixing by chocolate manufacturers. In re Chocolate Confectionary Antitrust Litig., MDL No. 1935 (M.D. Pa., April 8, 2009). The defendants in these 87 consolidated lawsuits reportedly supply 75 percent of the chocolate…
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Christine Haughney, “When Economy Sours, Tootsie Rolls Soothe Souls,” The New York Times, March 24, 2009
The recession seems to have a sweet tooth, according to this New York Times reporter who discovered that many big candy makers are enjoying rising sales and surprising profits despite a sour economy. Haughney reports that that Cadbury had a 30 percent rise in profits for 2008, Nestlé’s profits grew by 10.9 percent and Hershey, which…
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Plaintiffs Target Chocolate, Organic Bread and French Fries in Prop. 65 Enforcement Actions
Since May 2002 California plaintiffs have reportedly brought enforcement actions against a number of food manufacturers and fast food restaurants claiming that because carcinogens or reproductive toxicants are contained in their products, they are required to provide public warnings under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. This law, also known as Proposition 65…