Tag: herbs and spices
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Consumer Putative Class Action Targets McCormick’s Alleged Slack-Filled Pepper Tins
Echoing a lawsuit brought a week earlier by a competitor in the pepper category, a consumer has filed a proposed class action against McCormick & Co. alleging that the company underfills its tins of black pepper because it reduced the pepper in each tin by 25 percent but retained the traditional packaging size. Dupler v.…
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U.S. Codex Delegates Schedule Spices and Culinary Herbs Meeting
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety and the Agricultural Marketing Service have announced an August 19, 2015, public meeting in Washington, D.C., to discuss draft U.S. positions for consideration at the 2nd Session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) slated for September 14-18 in…
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Watkins Sues McCormick over Slack-Filled Packaging
Watkins Inc., a Minnesota-based company known for its black pepper, has filed a lawsuit against McCormick and Co., Inc., a global purveyor of spices, alleging that McCormick recently began underfilling its pepper containers but continued using the same size of packaging. Watkins Inc. v. McCormick and Co., No. 15-2688 (D. Minn., filed June 9, 2015).…
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Codex Alimentarius Commission Adopts Standards for Lead in Baby Formula and Arsenic in Rice
Representatives of more than 170 countries, the European Union and governmental and non-governmental organizations convened in Geneva, Switzerland, on July 14-18, 2014, for the annual meeting of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. Delegates reportedly adopted a recommendation that no more than 0.01 mg/kg of lead be allowed in infant formula and that raw materials be sourced…
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Organic Labeling-Based Claims Dismissed as Preempted
Addressing a question of first impression, a California appeals court has dismissed a putative class action alleging that Herb Thyme Farms mislabeled its certified organically grown herbs as “USDA Organic” because the contents included a mix of organically and conventionally grown herbs. Quesada v. Herb Thyme Farms, Inc., No. B239602 (Cal. Ct. App., 2d Dist.,…
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FDA Extends Comment Period for Draft Risk Profile on Pathogens and Filth in Spices
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended until March 3, 2014, the period for submission of comments, scientific data and other information related to its draft document titled, “Draft Risk Profile on Pathogens and Filth in Spices.” Originally published in the November 4, 2013, Federal Register, the draft risk profile identifies the most commonly…
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FDA Issues Report on Pathogens in Imported Spices
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a draft of its spice risk report, which calls attention to the most common microbial hazards and filth in imported spices, along with possible sources of contamination. The report, “Pathogens and Filth in Spices,” also evaluates current mitigation techniques, recommends options and identifies research needs and data…
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Kitchen Spices Allegedly a Source of Salmonella
A recent article in The New York Times reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is set to release a three-year-long study concluding that imported spices, particularly those from India and Mexico, are contaminated with Salmonella—reportedly the most common source of foodborne illness—at twice the rate of all other imported foods. “In a study…