With the pandemic’s impact on the economy and food insecurity in America expected to outlast the threat of the current coronavirus, stakeholders are calling on legislators to rethink how food and funds through nutrition programs are disbursed – changes...
Yesterday the Natural Products Association testified in favor of a California bill to regulate the CBD trade in that state. NPA and others, however, have reiterated a call for federal legislation that would forestall the growing patchwork quilt of state...
USDA’s announcement this week to extend free school meals through the summer – and possibly the end of the next school year – ensures students are fed even if pandemic-related safety measures keep them at home, but it doesn’t alleviate increased financial...
As more local governments mandate “hazard pay” increases for some grocery store employees, more retailers are shuttering “underperforming” stores that can no longer financially sustain increased costs associated with operating during the pandemic.
Recent news reports about the marketing of products featuring Delta-8 THC as a prominent constituent have muddied the waters enough that the US Hemp Roundtable felt it necessary to clarify again what should—and shouldn’t—be called a hemp product.
Under a bill just passed in the US Senate, sesame would become the 9th food subject to mandatory allergen labeling in the US from January 1, 2023, accelerating a process already set in motion by the FDA that food allergy advocacy groups claim would have...
‘Cell-cultured’ may be the best way to label seafood grown from animal cells in bioreactors, according to key stakeholders in the nascent industry, who have teamed up with the National Fisheries Institute to share their views with the FDA.
Under pressure to act in the wake of the recent congressional report into heavy metals in baby food, the FDA says it will issue "guidance to identify action levels for contaminants in key foods," as lawsuits against baby food brands pile up,...
A sharp increase in the Consumer Brands Association’s membership in 2020 underscores how the trade group’s “pro-consumer, pro-growth agenda” is helping it regain the trust and support of the CPG industry, including some companies that left the organization...
A judge has given a tentative green light to a $15m settlement between Post Foods and consumers who accused the CPG giant of misleading shoppers by falsely advertising sugary cereals as healthy. The news follows another high-profile settlement reached...
The agriculture supply chain is long overdue for an overhaul, as illustrated by breakdowns early in the pandemic, the rising threat of climate change, and increasing pressure to feed a growing population, but the question of who will foot the bill remains...
Lawsuits are piling up against companies cited in a recent Congressional report into heavy metals in baby food. But how might courts decide if these complaints have legs, and what can be reasonably expected from food manufacturers given that the FDA has...
Food allergy advocacy group, FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education), has launched an action plan to broaden treatment, care, and education about food allergies, addressing systemic inequities when it comes to accessing these resources.
New US Department of Agriculture leadership optimistically is committed to launching a “a new era of climate smart practices” and “equity and fairness” in food and ag that will remove barriers, rebuild rural America, tackle climate change and control...
As the pandemic nears the one-year mark, food and beverage companies face increased pressure to maintain new consumers gained during the pandemic while also engaging additional shoppers over record household penetration increases in the last year – a...
In the wake of the recent congressional report into heavy metals in baby food, the FDA says its goal is to reduce exposure to toxic elements in foods through research and collaboration, but has not said if it plans to issue guidance on upper limits for...
Whether or not you believe in climate change or the food industry’s contribution to the greenhouse gasses wrapping the earth and changing weather patterns, plenty of consumers do, and they increasingly are buying products based on their environmental...
Updated: CRN urges public health establishments to issue guidance on vitamin D supplement benefits
US Representative Glenn Grothman (R-WI) has introduced a House Resolution to recognize the significant role vitamin D may play in the fight against COVID-19.
The ABV threshold at which kombucha switches from a non-alcoholic beverage to what is effectively 'beer' for tax purposes is currently set at 0.5%. The KOMBUCHA Act, set to be reintroduced to Congress this session, provided the right tax vehicle...
New York Attorney General Letitia James has urged the FDA to follow recommendations in a recent congressional subcommittee report and set limits for toxic metals across all baby foods.
As predicted, several baby food brands have been hit with class action lawsuits alleging false advertising and violations of state consumer protection laws, following the publication of a congressional committee report raising alarm bells about heavy...
Baby food brands have defended their procurement and testing protocols after a congressional report highlighted the presence of heavy metals in their wares. The report – which will likely prompt lawsuits, predict attorneys - underlines the need for the...
New research revealing the depth of consumer confusion about allergen labeling underscores a need for clearer, more consistent labeling about the presence of allergens or the risk of cross-contamination in food and beverages, and bolsters support for...
The Hemp and Hemp-Derived CBD Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act has been re-introduced in the US House of Representatives with the aim of making hemp and hemp-derived CBD a dietary ingredient in dietary supplements.
Kroger’s decision this week to shutter two Southern California grocery stores in response to a local ordinance mandating a temporary hazard pay increase for some grocery employees during the pandemic could portend similar action by other retailers in...
Plant-based brands have blasted the latest wave of bills proposing restrictions on the use of terms such as ‘milk’ and ‘meat’ in states including New York and Texas as “a solution in search of a problem,” but say more work is needed to persuade legislators...
In the next 12 to 18 months, cultivated meat could become available to the masses, according to some industry players raising funds to scale production of technological and scientific advances that will allow for lower production costs and a lower consumer...
The rate at which warning letters are being issued for illegal COVID-19 claims has slowed dramatically since FDA and FTC began cooperating on the enforcement action in March of 2020.
The White House Office of Management and Budget pulled six FDA guidances and rules from its review, including the proposal "Cannabidiol Enforcement Policy; Draft Guidance for Industry" — handing the CBD industry yet another setback.
What do reasonable consumers think ‘no antibiotics’ on a cheese label means? That the cheese contains no antibiotics? That the milk is from cows that have never been administered antibiotics? Or something else?
President Joe Biden today is expected to take aim at the rising rate of food insecurity in the US during the ongoing pandemic by signing an executive order that will increase federal food assistance, including for those who currently receive the maximum...
The School Nutrition Association wants to permanently extend the US Department of Agriculture’s decision late last fall to offer all public-school students free breakfast and lunch through the end of the 2020-21 academic year “as an integral part of the...
Does ‘sorta sweet’ imply that a product is low in sugar? Or does it simply mean that it tastes ‘kind of sweet’ (as the maker of StraightUp Tea asserts in a bid to fend off a false advertising lawsuit)?
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Joseph Simons announced his resignation yesterday, which begins the process of filling slots at the commission with Biden Administration appointees. A reformed FTC is likely to take a stronger line on consumer protection,...
Cell-based seafood startup BlueNalu – which is building a pilot plant, demo kitchen and new HQ at a 40,000 sq ft facility in San Diego – hopes to get its first product (mahi mahi) into a small number of US restaurants by the end of the year, assuming...
Ajinomoto has defended the safety of flavor enhancer MSG against claims made in a citizen's petition filed by the nonprofit Truth in Labeling Campaign that urges the FDA to rescind the ingredient's GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status.
Most grocery retailers are strongly encouraging employees to vaccinate against the coronavirus as more states expand access to the vaccine to frontline essential workers, but few are mandating it and even fewer are paying their employees to take the preventive...
The European Food Safety Authority has published its first scientific opinion on an insect-derived food. The conclusion? Mealworms are safe for human consumption.
By Robert Guite and Abby Meyer, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
If your company sells any vanilla-flavored food or beverage product, then you are probably aware of the innumerable class action cases that have been filed over the last 18 months attacking these products – 67 cases by our count. Here, we trace the history...
For many Americans in 2020, pouring a stiff drink at the end of the day – or in the middle of it – was less about socializing with friends and more about coping with the chaos of the pandemic, and while many of the challenges from last year remain – research...
For food & supplement brands hoping 2021 might be the year the FDA unveils a long-awaited regulatory framework for CBD, its Jan 7 progress report citing the need for more safety data does not provide much encouragement, with the Council for Responsible...
Federal regulators could do more to protect consumers by using existing import authorities as well as moving forward on hemp/CBD regulation, the National Products Association has said.
Supplement manufacturer Zarbee’s Naturals has been advised to qualify some of its claims in a National Advertising Division case that bears on the question of what is meant by the term ‘natural.’
Purveyors of acacia gum have submitted a new petition to the FDA with additional scientific data to support their contention that it should be classified as a dietary fiber on food labels, highlighting its positive impact on glucose and insulin levels...
Between the pandemic, wildfires, economic losses and a contentious presidential election, 2020 was a year for the books – and as tempting as it may be to turn the page with the new year and not look back, one marketing expert and applied anthropologist...
More good news for the CBD industry. The European Commission has abandoned its plans to classify non-synthetic CBD a narcotic and resumed Novel Food applications for edible CBD products.
Frontline food industry workers will be among the first to be vaccinated after health care workers and those in long-term care facilities, according to federal guidance approved by the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization...
Will 2021 be the year the FDA finally weighs in on CBD regulations? Will the industry be hit with a wave of liability lawsuits over COVID-19? Will we see a framework for the regulation of cell-cultured meat? FoodNavigator-USA quizzed leading food law...
Four years after receiving a petition urging it to permit a more consumer-friendly name, the FDA has issued final guidance allowing companies to use ‘potassium salt’ as alternate name for ‘potassium chloride’ on ingredient labels.
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