European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has reportedly indicated the EU will issue guidelines discouraging companies from selling apparently identical food products across Europe but using inferior ingredients in the foods sold in the eastern part of the continent. The Czech Republic's agriculture minister has asserted that his country is Europe's "garbage can" because companies produce their foods with cheaper ingredients but sell them with identical branding. Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia have also objected to the practice, which multiple studies have purportedly confirmed. Juncker reportedly said the EU would issue guidelines on how to interpret existing rules in September 2017 and did not rule out further legislation to combat the discrimination. See Reuters, July 27, 2017. Issue 642
Scottish brewery BrewDog lost its battle to call one of its craft beers “Elvis Juice” when the U.K. Intellectual Property Office ruled that Elvis Presley’s estate still owns a trademark for “Elvis” beer. BrewDog released the grapefruit IPA in 2015, and the U.K. trademark owner, Authentic Brands Group, filed an infringement notice. The administrative body determined that consumers were likely to be confused by the names and that the average consumer would assume that the beer was produced by the Presley estate. See CNBC, July 12, 2017. Issue 641
A Texas man alleges the tortilla chips provided for his food demonstrations were rancid and adulterated with a salt shaker and a dirty napkin, threatening his business relationships and causing him emotional distress. Henry’s Dream Distrib. v. El Matador Foods, No. 2017-46884 (Tex. Dist. Ct., Harris Cty., filed July 14, 2017). The plaintiff asserts that in two separate incidents related to tortilla chips he purchased from El Matador Foods, a salt shaker rolled out of a bag at a sales demonstration and a dirty napkin was found in a bag that held rancid chips. According to the complaint, the plaintiff suffered a stroke after the second event. Claiming breach of contract, negligence, breach of warranty, negligent misrepresentation and violations of Texas consumer protection law, the plaintiff seeks damages and attorney’s fees. Issue 641
World Waters, maker of WTRMLN WTR, faces a proposed class action alleging its product labeling misleads consumers into believing that the products contain mostly watermelon juice and that the beverages are “cold-pressed” rather than heat-pasteurized. Pizzirusso v. World Waters, No. 17-4071 (E.D.N.Y., filed July 8, 2017). The plaintiff first asserts that World Water “overstates” the amount of watermelon in the mixed-fruit juice beverages. The complaint further alleges that although World Waters uses “Cold Pressed” and “Cold Pressured” to describe its products and claims on its website that the beverages are not pasteurized, the cold-pressure process heats the juices in a manner comparable to pasteurization; in addition, similar products produced by competitors apparently bear the term “High Pressure Processed.” Alleging violations of New York consumer protection laws, breach of warranty, unjust enrichment and fraud, the plaintiff seeks class certification, injunctive relief, damages and attorney’s fees. Issue 641
A Tennessee federal court has ruled that a personal-injury lawsuit against Whole Foods Market can proceed because the plaintiffs did not plead that they were “practicing vegans” and therefore could not be expected to know that a vegan pizza product might contain nuts. Jones v. WFM-WO, No. 17-0749 (M.D. Tenn., order entered July 17, 2017). The plaintiff alleged that she bought two slices of “Vegan Garden Pizza” from a Whole Foods bakery, relying on the label indicating that the pizza “did not contain certain nuts and/or ingredients derived from nut products.” After her daughter ate the pizza and suffered an allergic reaction requiring hospitalization, the plaintiff called the store and talked to the department manager, who reportedly told her the pizza was “mislabeled” and that an employee had prepared it using a taco sauce containing crushed pecans. Whole Foods argued that the pizza was exempt from the warning-label requirements of…
A group of convenience-store and restaurant trade groups have filed a lawsuit to stop New York City from enforcing a municipal regulation requiring calorie and nutrition information to be posted in their establishments. Nat’l Assoc. of Convenience Stores v. New York City Dep’t of Hygiene, No. 17-5324 (S.D.N.Y., filed July 14, 2017). In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) imposed new menu-labeling requirements, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its final implementation rule for those requirements in 2014. FDA extended the compliance date for the federal rule to May 7, 2018, but on May 18, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that enforcement of the parallel city regulation will nonetheless begin on August 21, 2017. Claiming that the city regulation is preempted by the ACA, the plaintiffs seek preliminary and permanent injunctions against enforcement and a declaration that the city regulation is…
Europol has announced the arrests of 66 people following a four-year investigation into an organized-crime group accused of selling horsemeat "not suitable for consumption" as beef products. The investigation began in 2013 after Irish authorities found products sold as beef burgers that contained horsemeat and led to a Dutch man in Spain alleged to be the leader of the scheme. According to Europol's July 16, 2017, press release, "Investigators concluded that the Spanish element of this organisation was a small part of the whole European structure controlled by the Dutch suspect." Issue 641
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced a bill that would require labeling of genetically engineered (GE) salmon and independent scientific review of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's environmental assessment of GE fish produced for human consumption. “The primary purpose of this bill is to ensure that consumers have all the facts and can make an informed decision when they are purchasing salmon. There’s a huge difference between ‘Frankenfish’ and the wild, healthy, sustainably-caught, delicious real thing—and I want to make sure folks are aware of that," Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said in a July 14, 2017, press release. "I will not accept that this ‘fake fish’ will be sold in stores without clear labeling.” Issue 641
The American Heart Association (AHA) has issued an advisory concluding that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats will lower the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), especially if combined with an “overall healthful dietary pattern." Frank M. Sacks, et al, "Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association," Circulation, June 15, 2017. AHA reviewed multiple studies on the effects of dietary saturated fat intake and its replacement with other types of fats, as well as replacement with carbohydrates, and concluded that replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated vegetable fat and changing dietary patterns reduces the risk of CVD by as much as 30 percent. Key recommendations of the review include lowering intake of saturated fat, increasing intake of polyunsaturated fat and avoiding coconut oil, which more than 70 percent of Americans regard as “healthy,” despite that it actually increases LDL cholesterol. Issue 640
A California consumer has filed a putative class action against Dunkin’ Brands Group alleging that Dunkin' Donuts deceived customers into believing its blueberry and maple products contained “real” blueberries and maple syrup or sugar instead of artificial flavorings. Babaian v. Dunkin’ Brands Grp., No. 17-4890 (C.D. Cal., filed July 3, 2017). The plaintiff contends that the chain’s use of the terms “blueberry” and “maple” in doughnut names represent to consumers that the products contain “real ingredients” and that Dunkin’ has a duty to disclose the use of artificial flavorings. Further, the plaintiff asserts that whether the doughnuts actually contain “real ingredients” is material to a “reasonable” consumer’s purchase decision because of the antioxidant properties and health benefits of both blueberries and maple syrup. Claiming breach of warranties, breach of contract, fraud, intentional and negligent misrepresentation, quasi-contract and violations of California consumer-protection laws, the plaintiff seeks class certification, damages, restitution and…
