Tag:labeling

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Tea Parties Certified for Class Action
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QR Code and Text Messaging Alone Are Insufficient to Disclose Bioengineered Food Ingredients
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Kind, LLC Wins a Decisive Victory in an “All Natural” Case When Plaintiffs Failed to Prove that Reasonable Consumers Had A Specific Understanding of “All Natural” That Rendered Kind’s Labels Misleading
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What The Fudge?! Popular Breakfast Snack’s Lack of Key Ingredient Did Not Trigger Liability Under State Consumer Fraud and Magnuson-Moss Warranty Acts
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Wine Labelling: A New EU Regulation is Coming Into Force in 2023
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Court Dismisses False Advertising Suit Over Chocolate-Dipped Ice Cream Bars
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Annie’s Hops Away from Proposed Slack-Fill Class Action
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Silent, But Not Deadly
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Mandatory Bioengineered Food Labeling Rule Went Into Effect on January 1, 2022 – Are You Ready?

Tea Parties Certified for Class Action

By: Conor J. Mannix

On July 31, 2023, the Central District of California granted class certification in a false advertising lawsuit against tea-maker R.C. Bigelow, Inc.[1] The suit alleges that Bigelow’s tea labels, which state “Manufactured in the USA 100%,” either intentionally or negligently misrepresent the origins of the tea because the tea itself is primarily grown internationally, and at least partially processed abroad before being packaged in the U.S.

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QR Code and Text Messaging Alone Are Insufficient to Disclose Bioengineered Food Ingredients

By: Natalie E. Rainer and Amy Wong

Due to a recent decision in the Northern District of California, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be required to revise current electronic and text message disclosure options under its Bioengineered (BE) Food Labeling Rules, also known as the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS or Standard). Plaintiffs successfully argued that these methods of disclosure did not meet Congress’s requirement that these methods be adequately accessible to consumers.

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Kind, LLC Wins a Decisive Victory in an “All Natural” Case When Plaintiffs Failed to Prove that Reasonable Consumers Had A Specific Understanding of “All Natural” That Rendered Kind’s Labels Misleading

By: Matthew G. Ball

Energy bar-maker Kind, LLC (“Kind”) has won a decisive victory in a multidistrict litigation matter pending in the Southern District of New York.  In re Kind LLC “Healthy and All Natural Litigation”, No. 15-MD-2645 (NRB) (September 9, 2022) (“Order”).  In the Kind Order, the district court made various rulings – of which the consumer class action defense bar should take note.  Before the Court were Kind’s Motions for Summary Judgment, to exclude Plaintiffs’ experts, and to decertify the class.  Kind ran the table, with the Court granting all three motions, and giving defense counsel a roadmap to victory in similar cases.  

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What The Fudge?! Popular Breakfast Snack’s Lack of Key Ingredient Did Not Trigger Liability Under State Consumer Fraud and Magnuson-Moss Warranty Acts

By: Ketajh M. Brown

A recent ruling from the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois served as an important reminder to the Plaintiffs Bar regarding a significant and continuing shift in judicial attitude toward speculative class action allegations of consumer fraud and breach of warranty.  In this case, the Court’s order is a cautionary tale for those who make a living firing off indiscriminate legal claims without stopping to ensure all essential elements of their clients’ claims are sufficiently alleged.  

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Wine Labelling: A New EU Regulation is Coming Into Force in 2023

By: Serena Totino, Judith Rinearson

The European Union reform of Common Agricultural Policy (“CAP”), published on 6 December 2021, will enter into force on 1 January 2023. (See more here.)  Such reform consists of a number of changes to the existing regulations.

Specifically, wine labelling will be regulated by EU Regulation 2021/2117, which amended four EU regulations, namely Regulations (EU) No. 1308/2013, 1151/2012, 251/2014, and 228/2013. Consultations on modernization of the CAP started in 2017, and the legislative procedure was completed at the end of 2021. While a mid-term review will take place in 2025, the CAP is meant to cover the period 2023–2027.

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Court Dismisses False Advertising Suit Over Chocolate-Dipped Ice Cream Bars

By: Amy Wong

Summary: Plaintiff filed a putative class action complaint in New York federal court against Mars Wrigley Confectionery US, LLC, alleging it deceived consumers into believing that its chocolate-coated ice cream bars contained only milk chocolate when they actually contain vegetable oils, which Plaintiff contends are not found in real chocolate. Plaintiff’s primary cause of action arises under New York’s false advertising and deceptive practices statutes, General Business Law §§ 349 and 350. Beers v. Mars Wrigley Confectionery US, LLC,  No. 21-CV-2 (CS), 2022 WL 493555, at *2 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 17, 2022).

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Annie’s Hops Away from Proposed Slack-Fill Class Action

By: Ashley Song

Summary: Annie’s, Inc. recently defeated a proposed class action that alleged its tropical-flavored bunny-shaped fruit snacks contained non-functional slack-fill and therefore misled consumers as to the amount of product contained therein.

Key Takeaways: Annie’s, Inc. defeated a proposed class action in the Southern District of New York that alleged that its tropical-flavored bunny-shaped fruit snacks (“Fruit Snacks”) deceived consumers by containing “non-functional slack-fill” (i.e., unnecessary empty space) and misled consumers as to the amounts of snacks contained in each package.

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Silent, But Not Deadly

By: Rasheem M. Johnson

Summary: In a case alleging a failure to disclose the presence of toxic heavy metals in baby food, a California federal judge granted in part and denied in part a motion to dismiss. The judge found that plaintiffs have Article III standing and that their cause of action for failure to disclose is not preempted by Federal law.

Key Takeaways: In In re Plum Baby Food Litigation, plaintiffs allege that Plum PBC fails to disclose that its baby food products contain, or have a risk of containing, arsenic, cadmium, mercury and perchlorate. According to Plaintiffs, Plum uses deceptive, unfair and false labeling to obscure the potential presence of toxic metals in its baby food products and charge a price premium for what is labelled and advertised as high quality organic healthy baby food.

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Mandatory Bioengineered Food Labeling Rule Went Into Effect on January 1, 2022 – Are You Ready?

By: Amy Wong

Summary: In 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) implemented the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS). While some food companies have voluntarily complied with the NBFDS since 2018, the new regulations make compliance mandatory as of January 1, 2022.

Key Takeaway: The NBFDS is an extensive marketing standard with which every regulated entity should become familiar.  While the USDA does not have authority to issue a recall or impose civil penalties for violations of the NBFDS, the AMS could initiate an investigation and publicly publish the findings of its investigation.  It is also possible that States will adopt the same or similar requirements and impose remedies for violations of their standards, such as damages, penalties, injunctive relief, and attorney’s fees.

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