Health economist Jane Sarasohn-Kahn has an interesting take in a new article on her Health Populi blog about "km zero", a food movement she describes as "the future of food." Basically, it takes locavore standards to the max, seeking to source food as close to you as possible, for the freshest and the best ingredients, including … Continue Reading
Stoel Rives food liability attorney Ken Odza discussed with NutraIngredients-USA.com the significance of a rise in activism from consumer lobby groups combined with food manufacturers pushing the envelope with more aggressive health claims. General Mills recently lost its bid to invalidate class action certification at the Eleventh Circuit of Appeals in a Florida lawsuit involving … Continue Reading
We’ve been somewhat reluctant to post anything about this, mainly because the facts seem to change daily. But today I found a very good website from WHO, the World Health Organization, Western Pacific Region, that is updated frequently and has a lot of good information that appears to be presented reasonably. I was particularly impressed … Continue Reading
Here’s a link to an article that appeared recently in Inside Washington’s FDA Week concerning the issue of front-of-package labeling (FOP). The article takes aim at the debate about state vs. federal regulation of FOP labeling. Here’s a link to a recent post in this blog on the FOP issue.… Continue Reading
“Got Milk?” The answer to that question may not be as cut and dried as you might believe, at least in Wisconsin. In a May 19 letter to the state Senate, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle explained his rationale behind his veto of Senate Bill 434, which would have authorized dairy farmers with a Grade A dairy … Continue Reading
This post also appears on the Essential Nutrition Law Blog. In an April 28 release, the Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) asked for comments and information from the public and other interested parties about front-of-pack (“FOP”) nutrition labeling and shelf tags in retail stores. The FOP is the part of the package label that … Continue Reading
You’ve heard the phrase "buried in the bill," of course. Section 4205 of the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," the health care reform bill President Obama signed on March 23, 2010, is contained on pages 1206-1214 of a 2407 page bill. It could hardly be more buried than that. In very technical terms, Section … Continue Reading
Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response (“CIFOR”) has published new guidelines designed to help local, state and federal agencies to improve their response to outbreaks. I became aware of this (again) through Ricardo Carvajal, who was a reviewer for the guidelines, and his firm’s FDA Law Blog. I agree with Ricardo that while the guidelines … Continue Reading
The maker of Redline energy drinks has been sued in federal court in California. The plaintiff, Zack Aaronson, is seeking class action status for his lawsuit against Vital Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (operating under the trademark VPX). The plaintiff claims that VPX failed to adequately warn consumers of potential side effects and health risks associated with consuming … Continue Reading
For food sellers interested in promoting a “sustainable” brand and inspiring food safety confidence in their consumers, meet Food Alliance. Food Alliance “is a nonprofit organization that certifies farms, ranches and food handlers for sustainable agricultural and facility management practices.” It bills itself as “the most comprehensive certification program for sustainably produced food in North … Continue Reading
More and more, it is becoming true that nothing drives detection and prevention of food-borne illness than technology (and, of course, with advancements in detection come potential increases in exposure to legal liability). No technological advancement may be more significant than Next Generation Sequencing ("Next Gen Sequencing"). I’ve recently had the opportunity to spend time learning about Next Gen Sequencing with Dr. Andrew Benson, a genetic microbiologist at the … Continue Reading
Dr. Margaret Hamburg, President Barack Obama’s nominee to oversee the Food and Drug Administration, is appearing before a U.S. Senate committee this afternoon regarding her nomination. The confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee began at 2:00 p.m. ET. Streaming video is available here. The Associated Press is reporting that, if confirmed, one … Continue Reading
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack issued a statement today emphasizing that U.S. pork products are safe and that there is no evidence that U.S. swine have been infected with the swine flu virus. Calling trade restrictions on pork or pork products unnecessary, Vilsack said any such restrictions would be inconsistent with World Organization for Animal … Continue Reading
Eating rojak, a local delicacy, in ordinarily squeaky-clean Singapore has resulted in two deaths, a miscarriage and over 100 visits to the emergency room. Singapore efficiently dealt with the outbreak, identifying and closing the offending stall and inspecting and approving the remaining stalls in the market by the next morning.… Continue Reading
Given the wide publicity for the pistachio recall by Setton Farms, it might have been better had they highlighted the recall on their website.… Continue Reading
The National Grain and Feed Association has reported to its members that Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), is likely to reintroduce food safety legislation next week. Senator Durbin has introduced similar bills in prior Congresses. Likely, co-sponsors include Senator Edward M. Kennedy, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) committee, and Republican Sens. Richard Burr … Continue Reading
Manufacturer fraud and bioterrorism should be on the radar screen for any food producer. Apart from the meltdown in the U.S. financial markets and presidential politics, the big news this week is toxic rice from Southeast Asia and melamine-tainted dairy products from China. Both crises were caused by intentional contamination of food products by raw-materials … Continue Reading
Recently, I’ve received several requests for resources explaining the anatomy of a food-borne illness claim. In other words, what events can be expected, and when? What can or should a company (in particular the legal department) do in response to a claim? Part I – Notice of an Outbreak (and Possible Claims) First off, don’t … Continue Reading
