By Riëtte van Laack — On July 29, 2014, the D.C. Circuit decided that USDA’s Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) regulation passed constitutional muster. Our previous posts regarding this case provide details on the background. Congress required COOL on many foods, including some meat products, and …
By Ricardo Carvajal — FDA is set to start enforcing its gluten-free labeling rule (for our prior posting on the rule, see here). To make sure you didn’t miss the onset of the compliance deadline of August 5, FDA issued reminders in the form of a …
By Ricardo Carvajal & JP Ellison – The Vermont Public Interest Research Group ("VPIRG") and Center for Food Safety ("CFS") filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit challenging Vermont’s new law requiring labeling for foods produced with genetic engineering (see our prior posting here). VPIRG …
By Ricardo Carvajal – FDA released data for its Total Diet Study (TDS) covering the period from 2006 to 2011. Under the TDS, FDA collects data on levels of pesticide residues, industrial chemicals, toxins, and nutrients present in foods to monitor changes in the levels of …
By Ricardo Carvajal – FDA finalized three guidance documents that address various aspects of the use of nanotechnology in products regulated by the agency: Considering Whether an FDA-Regulated Product Involves the Application of Nanotechnology, Safety of Nanomaterials in Cosmetic Products, and Assessing the Effects of Significant …
By Ricardo Carvajal – As widely reported in the press, several food industry trade associations sued the state of Vermont to overturn its recently enacted law requiring that a food “entirely or partially produced with genetic engineering” be labeled with the “clear and conspicuous words ‘produced …
By Ricardo Carvajal – In a prior posting, we reported on a lawsuit brought by Jensen Farms (Jensen) against its auditor Primus Labs (Primus) alleging that Primus had been negligent in the conduct of its audit – negligence that allegedly contributed to the 2011 outbreak of …
By Jennifer M. Thomas – In another confirmation of the Lanham Act’s reach following on the heels of the Lexmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that POM Wonderful LLC’s (“POM’s”) Lanham Act suit against Coca-Cola Co. (“Coke”) over juice product labeling is not precluded …
By Riëtte van Laack – In Quesada v. Herb Thyme Farms, Inc., Plaintiff Quesada alleged that Herb Thyme Farms, Inc. (Herb Thyme) lied about the nature of its “Fresh Organic” line of herbs. According to Plaintiff, Herb Thyme misrepresented its “Fresh Organic” products as 100% percent …
By Kurt R. Karst – On May 29th, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations voted 31-18 during a mark-up session to send to the House floor its version of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015, along …
By Ricardo Carvajal – FDA filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit brought by the Center for Food Safety challenging the legality of FDA’s GRAS notification program (for background information on the lawsuit, see our prior posting here). In its supporting memorandum, FDA argues that plaintiff …
By Riëtte van Laack – FDA’s proposed rule regarding nutrition labeling (see our previous post here) will have far-reaching consequences that may not be obvious. For example, FDA intends to make major changes in its approach to defining and measuring dietary fiber – changes that could …
By Riëtte van Laack – In 2011, the National Organic Program (“NOP”) of the USDA announced the availability of a draft guidance for “Made with Organic” claims. Of the four categories of organic claims (“100% organic,” “organic,” “made with organic,” “x% organic”), this category of organic …
By Ricardo Carvajal – FDA issued a draft guidance for industry that sets out the agency’s expectations for the content of petitions and notifications for exemption from food allergen labeling requirements. To date, such petitions and notifications have met with very limited success – a situation …
By Riëtte van Laack – The FDC Act, as amended by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (“DSHEA”) of 1994, excludes from the definition of dietary supplement any article that is approved as a new drug and any article “authorized for investigation as a new …
