Food & Beverage Litigation & Regulatory Update

Tag: restaurant

  • Court Rejects Injunction in NYC Salt Warning Case

    A New York state court has reportedly refused to grant the National Restaurant Association’s request for a preliminary injunction to stall the enforcement of New York City’s new requirement that chain restaurants label menu items containing 2,300 mg of salt or more, which is set to take effect March 1, 2016. Nat’l Restaurant Assoc. v.…

  • Viacom Pursues Alleged “Krusty Krab” Infringers

    Viacom International Inc. has filed a lawsuit against IJR Capital Investments alleging that a restaurant owned by the company infringes on Viacom’s intellectual property in the “SpongeBob SquarePants” franchise. Viacom Int’l Inc. v. IJR Capital Invs., No. 16-0257 (S.D. Tex., Houston Div., filed January 29, 2016). As the complaint explains, “The ‘Krusty Krab’ is owned by…

  • Chinese Firms Fined for Spreading KFC “Mutant Chicken” Rumors

    A Shanghai court has reportedly fined three Chinese technology companies for their part in spreading rumors that KFC fare is produced with “mutant chickens” with eight legs and six wings. KFC filed a lawsuit in June 2015 seeking damages for economic losses and damage to its reputation. The court reportedly ordered the companies to make…

  • CDC Declares End to E. Coli Outbreak as Chipotle Faces Widening Criminal Investigation

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared that two E. coli outbreaks linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. “appear to be over,” but the agency has not identified a food source for the outbreaks. “The epidemiologic evidence collected during this investigation suggested that a common meal item or ingredient served at Chipotle Mexican…

  • Chipotle Targeted in Federal Investigations, Shareholder Suit Filed in New York Federal Court

    Chipotle Mexican Grill has reportedly been served with a grand jury subpoena as part of a U.S. Attorney’s Office and Food and Drug Administration criminal investigation into a California norovirus outbreak in August 2015 that sickened more than 200 people. The company’s fare was also linked to a norovirus outbreak in Massachusetts in December 2015.…

  • New French Law Requires Restaurants to Provide Take-Away Boxes

    A law took effect in France on January 1, 2016, that requires restaurants to provide take-away boxes to diners who request them. The law reportedly targets the country’s rising food waste problem, but may have little impact—one government-commissioned report concluded that “the obstacle is mostly cultural” because “the majority of diners don’t dare to ask…

  • National Restaurant Association Sues NYC over Salt Labeling Law

    The National Restaurant Association (NRA) has petitioned a New York state court for a declaratory judgment stating that a New York City regulation requiring restaurants to post warnings on menu items high in sodium is arbitrary and capricious as applied. Nat’l Restaurant Assoc. v. New York City Dep’t of Health & Mental Hygiene, No. 654024/2015…

  • NYC Appeals Trial Court Ruling on Polystyrene

    New York City has appealed a trial court decision overturning a determination that expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) cannot be recycled, which had resulted in a municipal ban on the material. In re Restaurant Action Alliance, NYC, No. 100734 (N.Y. App. Ct., filed October 26, 2015). The appeal argues that the commissioner of the Department of…