Food & Beverage Litigation & Regulatory Update

Tag: labeling

  • Nutella® Wins Palm Oil Ad Dispute

    Ferrero SpA, maker of Nutella®, has reportedly won a dispute in the Brussels Court of Appeal over a rival’s advertising that claimed its similar product was healthier because it does not contain palm oil. Ferrero sued Belgium’s Delhaize Group after the “Choco” maker launched an ad campaign claiming its “certified without palm oil” spread was…

  • Advocacy Groups Sue FDA for Menu Info Delay

    The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and National Consumers League have filed a lawsuit alleging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) decision to delay implementation of rules requiring chain restaurants and food sellers to display nutritional information violated the Administrative Procedure Act. Ctr. for Sci. in the Pub. Interest v. Price, No. 17­-1085 (D.D.C., filed…

  • Italians Dispute “Made in Italy” Definition in Food­-Source Labeling Initiative

    Italian food producers reportedly disagree on how to define whether a food product is “made in Italy” in accordance with the country’s attempt to distinguish food produced in Italy, such as parmesan cheese or prosecco, from similar foods produced outside of the country. The dispute centers on whether foods manufactured in Italy using foreign ingredients…

  • TTB to Allow Voluntary Nutritional Content Statements on Alcoholic Beverages

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has issued a May 28, 2013, ruling that will allow alcoholic beverage manufacturers “to provide consumers with nutritional information about their products.” Acting under the authority of the Federal Alcohol Administration Act, TTB will permit the use of “Serving Facts” statements…

  • Canadian Lawmakers Reject GMO Labeling Bill

    The Canadian House of Commons has voted 216-­67 against a proposal to require mandatory labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food. The proposed bill would have amended Canada’s Food and Drug Act to state “No person shall sell any food that is genetically modified unless its label contains information . . . to prevent…

  • Court Enters Consent Decree for Animal Feed Maker After FDA Complaint

    Syfrett Feed Co., a Florida manufacturer of medicated animal feeds, has entered into a consent decree to control its production process and comply with federal laws before resuming medicated feed operations. U.S. v. Syfrett Feed Co., Inc., No. 17-­14038 (S.D. Fla., order entered May 4, 2017). The court entered the decree after the U.S. Food…

  • Truffle Oil False Labeling Suits Filed

    Two proposed class actions have been filed in California claiming false labeling of truffle­-flavored olive oil. Schiffman v. Urbani Truffles, No. 17­-935 (E.D. Cal., filed May 3, 2017); Quiroz v. Sabatino Truffles, No. 17­-783 (C.D. Cal., filed May 3, 2017). The plaintiffs argue that the olive oil producers add 2,4 ­dithiapentane to flavor their products…

  • Mott’s Applesauce Sued Over “Natural” Labeling

    Consumer­ advocacy group Beyond Pesticides has filed suit against the maker of Mott’s applesauce products, alleging the term “natural” on its labels misleads consumers because the products contain the pesticide acetamiprid. Beyond Pesticides v. Dr Pepper Snapple Grp., No. 2017 CA 003156 B (D.C. Super. Ct., filed May 5, 2017). The plaintiff asserts that the…