“Current data indicates that neither food nor food packaging is a pathway for the spread of viruses causing respiratory illnesses, including SARS-CoV-2,” according to a new guidance document from the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization...
AB 535, a California bill that would have prohibited any reference to California on olive oil bottles that did not contain 100% California-sourced olive oil, has been amended such that supporters and opponents say they can both live with it.
The US Food & Drug Administration has sent a letter to Amazon about the availability of drug-tainted sexual enhancement and weight loss products for sale on its platform, the majority of which were marketed as dietary supplements.
The Food Labeling Modernization Act - an updated version of a bill first introduced in 2018 that was designed to help consumers make more informed purchases – has been introduced to the House and the Senate.
Oatly has lost its trademark infringement case against British oat milk producer Glebe Farm, claiming that it never saw the dispute as a David v Goliath power play. Glebe calls the case a victory for consumer choice in a growing category.
Leading CPG companies including Unilever, Hershey, and General Mills have urged the FDA to look again at the way some sugars such as tagatose and isomaltulose are labeled on the Nutrition Facts panel in the wake of recent changes to the way allulose is...
By Rob Guite, Abby Meyer, and Abby Miles, Sheppard Mullin
President Biden’s recent executive order, ‘Ensuring the Future is made in all of America by all of America’s Workers,’ may encourage food & beverage companies to highlight their all-American credentials on-pack. However, claims about a product’s origin...
It has become “increasingly common in virtually all industries for short seller firms to target a company with accusations that drive down its stock price, which is then followed by a shareholder plaintiff firm pouncing on the stock drop with a class...
Frustrated by the current “wild west” that the CBD market has become, the Consumer Brands Association is calling on FDA to establish and enforce a federal regulatory framework for CBD products and is throwing its support behind Democratic Oregon Sen....
A bill put forward by Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, to decriminalize marijuana includes language on CBD that has been welcomed by supplement industry stakeholders.
As legislators continue to negotiate an infrastructure deal, the Consumer Brands Association urges democratic leaders to include the creation of a federal Office of Supply Chain Resiliency to address ongoing challenges exposed and magnified by the pandemic...
Citing “abusive actions by monopolies,” including “big ag,” that “lead to mass layoffs, higher prices, [and] fewer options for workers and consumers,” President Joe Biden Friday signed a sweeping executive order that tasks more than a dozen agencies with...
The School Nutrition Association (SNA) wants Congress to once again delay stricter sodium targets and roll back whole grain requirements for school meals out of fear that students will reject the changes and drop out of feeding programs, many of which...
A recent warning letter that focused in part on gut health claims points out the chinks in FDA’s policy facade, as it takes the target firm to task over some claims that seem benign in nature.
With Aleph Farm’s 2022 initial market launch just on the horizon, the trailblazing food-tech company responsible for series of firsts in the nascent cell-cultured meat category, has secured $105m in series B funding to scale-up manufacturing and expand...
By Abby Meyer, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP; and Dr. Sara Dastgheib-Vinarov, Tate & Lyle
In the food industry, a special recipe or product formulation can distinguish a company from competitors and form the basis of a brand. Companies may spend significant R&D dollars to get the recipe just right, so how can they protect this investment...
Oatmilk or oat drink? Plant-based cheese or cultured nut product? A report from the House Committee on Appropriations “encourages the FDA to provide clarity around the labeling of plant-based foods that use traditional meat, dairy, and egg terminology,”...
The Federal Trade Commission has issued its final ‘Made in the USA’ rule about how companies can make this claim on their packaging and in advertising.
The publication of a recent FDA priorities list that omitted the hemp/CBD question is a reminder that a legislative solution is the only practical way forward for a regulatory resolution for these ingredients, advocates say.
The FDA is aiming to release long-awaited voluntary sodium reduction goals and draft guidance on the labeling of plant-based milk alternatives in the next 12 months.
China looks likely to be the world’s largest consumer market of cultivated meat due its population size and government support, but a long, arduous journey lies ahead before this becomes a reality, according to an industry expert.
While several major baby food and infant formula manufacturers have pulled back or altered their advertising and lobbying practices significantly in recent years to reduce the risk of discouraging breastfeeding, many companies continue to fall woefully...
Months ago, many may not have even been aware of the existence of this cannabis compound. Today, Delta-8 is the fastest-growing category of hemp products, with US sales of products listing Delta-8 jumping 144% from a year earlier, according to cannabis...
California’s olive oil producers are clashing over proposed state legislation on olive oil labeling that supporters say is essential to ensure consumers are not being misled, and critics say is a blatant attempt to restrict competition.
Nature’s Fynd has received a coveted 'no questions’ letter from the FDA in response to its GRAS safety determination for its ‘Fy’ fungi ingredient (Fusarium strain flavolapis*), a protein-packed naturally-occurring micro-organism with origins in...
A California court has allowed a proposed class action lawsuit over ‘No Antibiotics’ claims on Sargento cheese to proceed, with some caveats, finding that “there is a factual dispute as to what a reasonable consumer would understand” by this claim.
The CBD sports nutrition sector had its game significantly boosted in 2018 when the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed the hemp-derived cannabinoid from its list of banned performance-enhancing substances – the market duly took off.
With US retail sales of cannabidiol-infused foods, beverages and supplements declining sharply in the past year and some early-adopters souring on the ingredient after experiencing lackluster ‘results,’ some players in the space are discontinuing their...
At least 86 lawsuits have now been filed against firms named in the recent Congressional Subcommittee report on heavy metals in baby food, including Beech-Nut Nutrition, which has just announced plans to exit the infant rice cereal category citing difficulties...
The Superior Court of California has ordered the state of California to answer a petition brought by a nonprofit calling for it to add processed meat to the Proposition 65 list of substances known to cause cancer or reproductive harm.
The FDA is looking at how shifting shopping habits during the pandemic, including the rapid adoption of e-commerce to buy groceries and prepared food, may have “reinforced and accelerated” the need for new measures to ensure products are safe through...
Poverty in the coffee industry is an “enduring crisis,” despite US consumers’ willingness to pay upwards of $16-$22 per 12-ounce bag of roasted coffee and a premium for products that promise to ethically source beans and pay farmers a fair price.
Having initially voted in favour of banning descriptive terms such as ‘buttery’ and ‘creamy’ for dairy-free products, the European Parliament has dropped Amendment 171.
Once the ABV of kombucha exceeds 0.5%, it’s classified as an alcoholic beverage. The KOMBUCHA Act would raise that threshold to 1.25% ABV, enabling brands to sell ‘authentic’ raw kombucha using traditional methods without becoming subject to federal alcohol...
Spencer Sheehan – a plaintiff’s attorney best-known for filing a tsunami of lawsuits over vanilla labeling – has targeted Chobani for the second time in six months, this time taking issue with claims on the yogurt maker’s high protein, no added sugar...
A US Senate bill to specifically allow the use of CBD and other hemp derivatives in dietary supplements and foods has been introduced with bipartisan sponsorship. The bill also enjoys broad support within the industry.
Eat Just Inc.'s GOOD Meat division has secured $170m in new funding to scale production of its cell-cultured chicken (and R&D into other animal protein including beef and pork) in North America and Asia through multi-million dollar investments...
The long-awaited end of the pandemic may be nearing in the US as vaccine distribution expands and new government guidance rolls back some mask and social distancing requirements, but for the CPG industry, some of the challenges that arose and accelerated...
On May 6, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued a scientific opinion concluding that titanium dioxide (E171), a whitening pigment used to color everything from gum to sauces, “can no longer be considered safe as a food additive.” So what does...
Carbon labeling for food and beverage may be coming faster than originally predicted, and soon may hold more sway with consumers than other popular certifications as the ongoing pandemic accelerates consumer interest in sustainable diets, predict industry...
Both sides have claimed victory in the latest installment of an increasingly acrimonious legal dispute* between Beyond Meat and its former co-manufacturer Don Lee Farms triggered by the early termination of an exclusive five-year supply agreement the...
The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) has clarified the term ‘postbiotics’ in a statement that responds to the scientific groundswell and growing number of postbiotic applications.
While the pandemic has helped fuel a business boom for much of packaged food and beverage industry, not everyone in the sector has benefited – with women and female-run small businesses in particular taking a hard hit that could have devastating long-term...
Hain Celestial’s baby food brand Earth’s Best “picked up significant distribution” in the company’s third quarter despite a congressional report released in February alleged there are ‘dangerously high’ trace levels of metals in baby foods produced by...
Impossible Foods has applauded a decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the FDA’s approval of soy leghemoglobin (aka 'heme') - the star ingredient in its plant-based burgers - as a color additive.
Industry-supported efforts to update organic food standards could finally move forward after being held at a standstill for years by the US Department of Agriculture if bipartisan legislation introduced in the House late last week becomes law.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has requested detailed information from four of the companies named in the recent Congressional report into heavy metals in baby food on their approach to monitoring inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal – the...
While adaptogens and nootropics are central to the calming and functional benefits of Moment’s trio of botanical beverages, they take a backseat in marketing, which focuses first on the behavior modifications and lifestyle the brand promotes – a strategy...
At least 69 lawsuits have now been filed against firms named in the recent Congressional Subcommittee report on heavy metals in baby food, prompting a legal wrangle over how best to handle the cases.
A report from a watchdog group found found that just 42% of CBD brands tested all their products for potency. Additionally, the vast majority of products tested were outside the limits of acceptable variance.
