Tag: GMO
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Food Groups Claim AquaBounty Fined for Environmental Violations
Food & Water Watch and the Center for Food Safety (CFS) have reported that AquaBounty Technologies has been fined $9,500 USD for violating environmental regulations in Panama and call for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is assessing the safety of the company’s genetically engineered (GE) salmon, to terminate its review and deny…
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Diamond Foods Agrees to $2.75 Million Settlement in “All Natural” Class Actions
Diamond Foods, Inc. has agreed to settle the consumer fraud class action suits filed by plaintiffs in California and Florida alleging that the company falsely labels its Kettle Brand® chip products as “All Natural,” when they contain artificial, synthetic or genetically modified ingredients, or as “Reduced Fat” while referencing non-comparable foods. Klacko v. Diamond Foods,…
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Shook Authors Discuss U.S. Regulatory and Litigation Landmines in IBA Newsletter
Global Product Liability Partners Gregory Fowler and Marc Shelley have co-authored an article titled “Food and beverage labelling and advertising in the United States: Regulatory and litigation landmines,” appearing in the September 2014 issue of the International Bar Association’s Product Law and Advertising Newsletter. The article considers the public and private challenges facing U.S. food and…
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GE Salmon Production Banned in California
California Governor Jerry Brown (D) recently signed a bill (A.B. 504) extending the prohibition of spawning, incubating or cultivating of genetically engineered (GE) salmon in the Pacific Ocean to all state waters. Hatchery production and stocking of transgenic fish is also prohibited. The legislation was sponsored by Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro (D-Arcata), who asserts that the…
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Vermont Invites Public Comments on GMO-Labeling Rule Enforcement
Vermont Attorney General (AG) William Sorrell is inviting public comments on a draft rule intended to enforce the state’s new law requiring the labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food products. The proposed rule defines relevant terms such as “food,” “genetic engineering” and “in vitro nucleic acid techniques,” providing standards for retailers and food…
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Consumer Reports Tests “Natural” Foods for GE Corn and Soy
The Consumer Reports (CR) Food Safety and Sustainability Center has reportedly tested more than 80 processed foods for genetically engineered (GE) corn or soy, concluding that products labeled “natural” contained GE ingredients in levels comparable to those of their conventional counterparts. After analyzing breakfast cereals, bars, corn chips and tortillas, baking mixes and flour, meat…
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Consumer Interest Groups Denied Intervention in Lawsuit Challenging Vermont GMO-Labeling Law
A federal court has denied Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) and the Center for Food Safety’s (CFS’s) motion to intervene in a lawsuit challenging Vermont’s statute requiring food manufacturers to label their products if they contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Grocery Mfrs. Ass’n v. Sorrell, No. 14-0117 (U.S. Dist. Ct., D. Vt., order entered…
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Costa Rican Court Declares GMO Approval Process Unconstitutional
Costa Rica’s Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court has reportedly struck down the country’s approval process for projects using genetically modified organisms (GMOs), finding it violates the constitutional rights to a healthy environment and—because of the confidentiality of the process— freedom of information. Environmental groups challenged the process in late 2012, and the Ombudsman’s Office…