Breaking News on Food & Beverage Development - North America EU edition

US: Bottled water pulled in bromate scare

14-Aug-2006 - Bottled water containing cancer-causing bromate above the level allowed by America's food safety watchdog has been pulled from shelves by one of the country's upmarket retailers.

USDA amends fresh fruit rules

11-Aug-2006 - The USDA Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has amended its requirements for the movement of fresh fruit from Florida as of this month.

FDA to amend voluntary nutrition labeling regs

11-Aug-2006 - The FDA plans to amend voluntary nutrition labeling regulations by updating the names and the nutrition labeling values for the 20 most frequently consumed raw fruits, vegetables and fish in the US.

USDA to revise nutrition program for women and kids

09-Aug-2006 - The US government has proposed that its Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutritional program should be revised for the first time in over 25 years in order to better reflect the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

National Uniformity for Food Act

Under-resourced FDA unable to regulate food safety, says former official

04-Aug-2006 - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is under-resourced, under-staffed, and essentially incapable of overseeing potential threats to the US food supply, according to a former FDA official who last week opposed the National Uniformity for Food Act at a Senate hearing.

National Uniformity for Food Act

National uniformity crucial for interstate commerce, says lawyer

02-Aug-2006 - Different standards and warnings imposed on food in one state but not in others impede commerce, confuse consumers, and increase the cost of food without commensurate benefit, according to an authority on food law.

National Uniformity for Food Act

Cereal maker sued for acrylamide under Californian law

31-Jul-2006 - An Ohio-based cereal manufacturer is to face a lawsuit under California's Proposition 65 because its cereal product contains acrylamide, even though the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require warning labels on acrylamide-containing foods.

FDA accused of scant monitoring of deceptive food labeling

31-Jul-2006 - The nation's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been accused of misleading Congress by ignoring the enforcement of key regulatory provisions intended to provide accurate food labeling.

National Uniformity for Food Act

Senate hears support and opposition for proposed bill

28-Jul-2006 - Senators and prominent industry figures yesterday addressed a Senate committee on the National Uniformity for Food Act, expressing both support and contempt for a bill that could standardize food safety requirements and warning labels throughout the US.

Labeling seminar outlines anticipated FDA changes

23-Jun-2006 - Changes to the labeling requirements of calorie content, trans fats and portion sizes are among the issues being considered by the US Food and Drug Administration, according to a recent food labeling seminar.

Weekly comment

Litigation: a necessary cost of doing business?

19-Jun-2006 - In the US, the role of court action in defining limits not set by regulators is generating a flood of costly court cases for the food industry: much unnecessary, and all damaging.

Trans fat litigation moves to foodservice with KFC suit

16-Jun-2006 - A lawsuit filed this week against Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) for its use of undeclared trans fats is a new indication that the issue is far from forgotten, even though the battle appears to have edged away from food processors for the time being.

Budweiser maker sued for incomplete rights to ad music

14-Jun-2006 - US beer firm Anheuser-Busch has been slapped with a lawsuit for using a song in its commercials for which it had paid rights to the record company alone, and not to the rock band that created the song.

FDA sued for lax regulation of GM foods

09-Jun-2006 - A lawsuit filed against the US government aims to establish strict safety laws for all genetically engineered foods, and require these to be labeled once they are approved.

Online database tracks container shipments worldwide

06-Jun-2006 - A supply chain tracking company has created an online database food firms can use to track their freight containers in real time using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.

Frito-Lay changes labels to avoid olestra lawsuit

05-Jun-2006 - In a move to avoid a lawsuit, Frito Lay said it will change the labeling on its 'Light' range of potato chips in order to make it clearer that they contain the controversial fat substitute olestra.

FDA report makes room for healthy away-from-home foods

05-Jun-2006 - A new US Food & Drug Administration report could spell market opportunities for healthy ingredients as it aims to heighten awareness of the nutritious potential for foods eaten or prepared away from the home.

Coca-Cola, Cadbury added to benzene lawsuits

24-May-2006 - Coca-Cola and Cadbury Schweppes have joined the list of beverage firms set to be sued in Florida over allegations their drinks contained benzene, 15 years after the industry first pledged to fix the problem.

FDA names and shames over benzene in soft drinks

22-May-2006 - Five US soft drinks were found containing the cancer-causing chemical benzene at levels above the legal limit for drinking water, America's food safety watchdog has announced, sparking calls for more thorough testing.

Guest article

Preserving intellectual property before a patent is issued

18-May-2006 - The nutraceuticals industry has a dynamic technology landscape where a product life cycle may be abbreviated. Amid the constant pressure to drive new products to market and the struggle to establish and maintain market share, engaging in the expensive, multiyear process of obtaining patent protection for your technology may seem to be a questionable value proposition.

Bakery company settles federal refrigerants suit

18-May-2006 - A third baking company made a settlement this week with the US government over its use of ozone-depleting refrigerants.

FDA rejects Nestlé infant formula health claim

17-May-2006 - The US food regulatory agency last week rejected a proposed health claim submitted by Nestlé, which would have implied that its whey protein infant formulas reduced the risk of food allergy symptoms.

Cadbury Schweppes to face lawsuit over 'all natural' 7UP

15-May-2006 - Just a month after the reformulation of its flagship 7Up drink, Cadbury Schweppes is set to face a lawsuit that accuses the firm of deceptively advertising the product as 'natural'.

Ban red insect food die, says CSPI

12-May-2006 - Carmine and cochineal extracts, the red food dyes made from the dried bodies of the cochineal insect, should be removed from the food supply once and for all, claims the non-profit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).