A lawsuit* recently filed by former co-packer Don Lee Farms accusing Beyond Meat of “grossly” overstating the protein in its products is motivated by “personal vendetta" and should be seen as a “transparent attempt to gain leverage” on the eve of...
CPG and waste and recycling industry leaders are urging the House of Representatives to follow the US Senate’s lead and quickly pass “critical” legislation needed to “fix America’s broken recycling system” which, according to the Consumer Brands Association,...
Beyond Meat – which has just posted another grim set of quarterly figures driving its share price down to new lows – is gearing up for a showdown with former co-packer Don Lee Farms at a court in Los Angeles with a trial date scheduled for September 26.
Health Canada has published new labeling standards for supplemented foods such as snacks and beverages fortified with vitamins and minerals or caffeinated energy drinks; and introduced new nutrition labelling regulations for packaged foods requiring a...
On Capitol Hill last week, hemp industry stakeholders and Congressional leaders frustrated by FDA’s lack of regulations for CBD and other hemp-derived compounds since the 2018 Farm Bill authorized commercial production of the crop, explored how the 2023...
Facing sharp criticism in the media that FDA’s approach to food safety is “broken,” “Byzantine” and a “ridiculous joke,” the agency is undertaking a “top to bottom” review of the “structure, function, funding and leadership” of its food program, agency...
Frustrated with FDA’s “inefficient decision making,” reliance on “inexperienced and undertrained” inspectors and “split and siloed” approach to food safety and oversight, the Consumer Brands Association this morning reiterated its call for the agency...
Non-nutritive sweeteners such as stevia and sucralose are not a panacea, but new recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) questioning their value do a “disservice to public health” by failing to recognize their role in sugar/energy reduction...
Bonumose – a Virginia-based startup with patented technology it claims could enable the mass market adoption of rare sugars which have exciting benefits but currently come with a hefty price tag – is gearing up to start commercial production of tagatose...
The FDA has acknowledged that people are frustrated it isn’t moving more quickly to set action levels for heavy metals in baby foods, but says proposals from states' attorneys general to expedite the process and immediately set thresholds for heavy...
As Geoff Freeman prepares to step down from his role as president and CEO of the Consumer Brands Association next month to pursue a new opportunity, he offers the CPG industry the same advice that he gave when he joined the trade group four years ago:...
Clif Bar – one of a series of CPG brands accused of adding ‘excessive’ amounts of sugar to products marketed as wholesome and nutritious – has agreed to remove the terms ‘nutritious’ and 'nourishing' from selected product labels, and set aside...
As rising gas and food prices cause US consumers’ confidence and short-term outlook for the economy to plunge, some are shifting their spending habits and the blame from the pandemic to ongoing supply chain costs, constraints and related government policies,...
Children’s health advocates and the School Nutrition Association lauded President Joe Biden signing this weekend a bipartisan bill to increase funding for school meals and ease requirements for institutions struggling with ongoing supply chain challenges,...
Two closely watched food labeling documents from the FDA – a proposed rule defining ‘healthy’ nutrient content claims, and draft guidance on the labeling of plant-based milks - are both being reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and...
Two years after securing a preliminary injunction to stop Nestlé from marketing its plant-based ‘Incredible Burger’ in the EU, Impossible Foods has filed a lawsuit in a bid to stop Toronto-based Zoglo's Incredible Food using the ‘Incredible’ mark...
New Census data showing consumer spending on food slowing in recent months as inflation and the threat of a recession rise suggests retailers and brands need to rethink their inventory and promotional strategies to attract and maintain shoppers, analysts...
‘Animal-free dairy’ startups have hit back at what they claim are attempts by the Non GMO Project and others to discredit the emerging technology by mischaracterizing it as dangerous, unregulated and bad for the environment.
With protein content claims in the spotlight after Beyond Meat was hit with two lawsuits filed in the space of one week alleging it overstates the protein in its plant-based burgers and other products, FoodNavigator-USA caught up with labeling experts...
A new report from the Centers of Disease Control has found that annual number of pediatric ingestions of melatonin reported to poison control centers increased 530% from 2012 to 2021.
US adults are advised to consume no more than 2,300mg of salt per day (the equivalent of 1 teaspoon), according to 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines, an amount that is easy to surpass thanks to the high levels of sodium in many processed and packaged food,...
Beyond Meat has been hit with two lawsuits this week alleging it “grossly overstates” the protein in its products: one consumer class action complaint, and another from former co-packer Don Lee Farms, which has been embroiled in an ugly legal dispute*...
Announcing the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars across the supply chain, the US Department of Agriculture says it hopes to rebalance the food system’s historic focus on efficiency with much-needed resiliency so that the country is better...
With $10m in series A funding, the carbon assessment platform Planet FWD hopes to dramatically reduce the time it takes CPG companies to evaluate and neutralize their environmental impact while simultaneously speeding up their development of eco-friendly...
A court has found in Sweegen’s favor following a four-year legal battle with rival PureCircle over IP relating to the manufacture of stevia sweetener Reb M.
The US Federal Trade Commission is proposing an updated set of rules that would attempt to rein in the burgeoning use of phony reviews to hawk products online. They would also work to prevent the suppression of negative reviews
This fall, the White House will host a highly-anticipated and hard fought for second Conference on Food, Nutrition, Hunger and Health at the behest of a bipartisan nationwide grassroots movement led by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) as part of an ambitious...
Superbrewed Food has secured self-affirmed GRAS status for a new whole food, non-GMO ingredient - marketed as a ‘postbiotic cultured protein’ – that founder Dr Bryan Tracy is billing as “the most nutrient dense protein source on the planet,” with 80%+...
The FDA has denied a request to exempt rare sugar tagatose from the total and added sugars declaration on the Nutrition Facts panel, three years after granting the same request for rare sugar allulose, a decision petitioner Bonumose has slammed as “contradictory...
California-based Impossible Foods is making its European debut in the UK this week with the launch of plant-based chicken nuggets and sausage patties, formulated without its flagship soy leghemoglobin ingredient, which is not yet approved in the UK or...
GOOD Meat - a division of Eat Just, Inc. currently developing and producing cultivated chicken - has entered into a joint development agreement with global nutrition company ADM to accelerate the production of cultivated meat while driving overall costs...
Being an entrepreneur can feel desperately lonely – especially in the early days when budgets are tight, days are long and challenges crop up constantly – but as romantic as the idea of buckling down and becoming ‘self-made’ may be, few founders actually...
The US Food and Drug Administration has detailed how it aims to increase the availability of infant and speciality formulas, as shortages on shelf are tied to higher demand and a recall of some Abbott Nutrition products.
More consumers are factoring sustainability into their purchase decisions, according to data from NielsenIQ, but effectively and efficiently communicating a product’s environmental impact in less than the 10 seconds most shoppers spend deciding what to...
FDA came down hard on purveyors of Delta-8 THC and CBD products that were making disease claims on the substances. The Agency also reiterated the reasons it believes Delta-8 is not a suitable ingredient for products marketed as supplements.
Food & beverage class actions surged in 2021, driven in part by a tsunami of cases over heavy metals in baby food, but judges are wearying of cases that assume consumers have zero common sense, according to a review by law firm Perkins Coie.
Coca-Cola owned ultra-filtered milk brand fairlife has agreed to step up animal welfare oversight at supplier farms as part of a $21m agreement to settle a series of lawsuits filed in the wake of allegations of animal abuse at former ‘flagship’ milk supplier...
More work is needed to tackle heavy metals in foods & beverages, especially those consumed by young children, but we shouldn’t throw out the baby with the bathwater, said food industry executives at a public meeting held as the FDA issued new action...
Motif FoodWorks has filed a motion to stay a patent infringement lawsuit brought by Impossible Foods over the use of heme ingredients in meat alternatives while the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) reviews the patent at the heart of the case.
Netherlands-based NutriLeads has received a letter of no objection from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status of its upcycled immune health ingredient, BeniCaros.
A year after cauliflower-fueled startup Outer Aisle Gourmet accused bakery giant Bimbo Bakeries USA of hardball tactics in a David vs Goliath-style lawsuit over ‘sandwich thins,’ the case has been dismissed with prejudice, with the two parties agreeing...
As Earth Day month draws to a close, food and beverage manufacturers are celebrating efforts to reduce food waste, in their factories and in consumers’ homes, through increasingly creative and data-backed initiatives, including Hellmann’s ‘fridge night’...
A new FDA draft guidance on food allergens lays out the factors the Agency will use to evaluate the risk posed by substances beyond the nine major allergens now on or soon to be added to the list.
Undefined and increasingly under fire for allegedly delivering low nutrition but high calories, so-called ultra-processed food could be under the microscope during the next review of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, slated for publication in 2025.
Motif FoodWorks has upped the ante in a high-stakes legal dispute with plant-based meat co Impossible Foods over meaty-tasting ‘heme’ ingredients by filing a petition with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to challenge the validity of a patent it argues...
Beyond Meat has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by common stockholders alleging that top executives breached their fiduciary duties in their dealings with former co-packer Don Lee Farms. Company executives named in the complaint do not admit any wrongdoing,...
By Jonathan Sharp, CFO, Environmental Litigation Group PC
Last year’s Congressional Subcommittee report alleging 'dangerous' levels of lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium in leading baby food brands has brought the issue of heavy metals in foods targeting infants into sharp focus. So what can manufacturers...
Recently strengthened self-regulatory efforts to curb marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children still do not go far enough to “meaningfully protect” children, argue public health advocates after new analysis reveals “loopholes” in the Children’s...
Recognizing trucking as a “lynchpin” in America’s supply chains that moves 72% of the US economy’s goods and that a lack of drivers has held back ability to meet surging consumer demand since the start of the pandemic and now contributes to rising inflation,...
