Among the ironies connected to New York’s attempt to ban large cups of soda is the fact that the last time I was in the city, before the advent of 7-11 to its precincts, the one thing I really craved was a really large cup of Dr Pepper. When I visit New York, on business or … Continue Reading
Last week on January 3, 2013, sponsors of Initiative 522 (I-522), a measure that would require the labeling of certain genetically engineered foods, filed their petitions with the Washington Secretary of State’s Office for review. The filing of I-522 comes in the wake of Proposition 37, a similar initiative that was ultimately rejected by California … Continue Reading
On April 27, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois dismissed the case of Kremers v. Coca-Cola Company. The case involved another of these ubiquitous claims where someone is suing saying they were fooled by labeling on a product. Unfortunately, the case was dismissed on grounds that indicate we might never really know the … Continue Reading
Stephanie Clifford wrote over the weekend in the New York Times about what’s behind the increase in unfair competition claims. Ms. Clifford reports: The number of complaints over ads from competitors filed with the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, the industry’s main self-regulatory program for national ads, is on track … Continue Reading
Co-Authored By Guest Blogger Scott Hansen According to its website, last Sunday’s New York Times article on E. coli and beef is among the most widely read pieces published by the newspaper this week. The article tells the story of a 22-year-old Minnesota dance instructor who was left paralyzed after being infected with a strain of E. … Continue Reading
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking issue with claims that Cheerios cereal can lower cholesterol. In a letter to General Mills, the FDA says that statements made on Cheerios packaging like the claim that the cereal is “clinically proven to help lower cholesterol” make the product a drug under federal law. The agency suggests … 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
The Centers for Disease Control has issued a study of the incidence of food-borne illness in ten states. The study, by the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, known as "FoodNet", in general concludes that food-borne illness has not significantly either increased or decreased in the United States since 2004, after substantial gains in food safety … 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
Happy New Year. Thank you for your support, readership and feedback for this site. Since we launched the blog in late February of 2008, the growth in readership has been extraordinary. I’m overwhelmed at the response. My hope is that the blog has provided some measure of assistance to those in the food industry. As always, I … Continue Reading
Yesterday, California became the first state in the Union to write into law menu labeling requirements. Like municipal ordinances recently enacted in New York City and Seattle, the California law requires certain “chain” restaurants to disclose nutritional information and calorie content information for certain items. The law, to be phased in between 2009 and 2011, applies … Continue Reading
