Tag: coffee
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EU Court of Justice Finds Certain Dutch Eco-Contracting Requirements Unlawful
The Court of Justice of the European Union (EU) has agreed, in part, with the European Commission’s challenge to requirements imposed by the Dutch government on contractors providing organic and fair trade products in its automatic coffee machines. EC v. Kingdom of the Netherlands, No. C-368/10 (E.C.J., decided May 10, 2012). According to the Court,…
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Starbucks Can Limit Number of Pro-Union Buttons Worn by Employees
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has determined that Starbucks Corp. did not violate federal labor law by adopting a dress code which limits the number of pro-union buttons its employees can wear on their uniforms. NLRB v. Starbucks Corp., Nos. 10-3511, 10-3783 (2d Cir., decided May 10, 2012). The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)…
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Study Finds No Link Between Coffee Consumption and Chronic Disease
A recent study has purportedly found that “neither caffeinated nor decaffeinated coffee was associated with an increased risk of total chronic disease, CVD [cardiovascular disease], or cancer,” according to a concurrent editorial published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Anna Floegel, “Coffee Consumption and Risk of Chronic Disease in the European Prospective Investigation into…
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Starbucks Files Brief Seeking to Uphold Judgment in Tip Dispute
Starbucks Corp. has filed its response in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in a dispute over tip sharing, asking the court to affirm the district court’s grant of summary judgment in its favor. Lawrence v. Starbucks Corp., No. 11-3199 (2d Cir., brief filed February 22, 2012). Additional information about related litigation involving Starbucks baristas…
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FDA to Review Safety and Legality of Inhalable Caffeine
According to Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to investigate the safety and legality of AeroShot®, which allows consumers to inhale a powder delivering 100 mg of caffeine to the body. Created by a Harvard professor and a company led by Harvard graduate Tom Hadfield, the product was apparently…
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Putative Class Contends One-Cup Coffee Cartridges Are Not Fresh Ground
A New Mexico resident has filed a putative statewide class action in federal court claiming that a company which makes one-cup coffee cartridges for Keurig® single-serve coffee machines falsely labels and markets its cartridges as fresh coffee when they are actually filled with instant coffee. Bracewell v. Sturm Foods, Inc., No. 11-01024 (D.N.M., filed November…
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Coffee Drinker Claims That Safeway Misled Purchasers of “Kona Blend”
After Kona coffee growers called for Safeway, Inc. to comply with Hawaiian regulations on labeling Kona coffee, a California resident filed a putative class action against the company in federal court, alleging that its Safeway Select™ “Kona Blend” coffee contains “very little Kona coffee bean content.” Thurston v. Safeway, Inc., No. 11-04285 (N.D. Cal., filed…
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Prop. 65 Lawsuit Seeks Warnings for Acrylamide in Coffee
The Metzger Law Group has filed a lawsuit under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act (Prop. 65) on behalf of the Council for Education and Research on Toxics (CERT), seeking an order to require coffee makers and retailers to warn consumers that coffee contains acrylamide, a chemical known to the state to cause…