The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is implementing changes to the Nutrition Facts Panel for food and beverage labels. Manufacturers are required to comply with the new requirements by January 1, 2020, although manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual food sales have an additional year, until January 1, 2021. Key changes include the
Back to School: Food Litigation Trends Webinar
With summer drawing to an end and the kids going back to school, it’s time to check in on the latest food litigation trends. Please join Perkins Coie on Tuesday, September 18 at 1:00 PM ET/12:00 PM CT/10:00 AM PT for a review of the key developments and trends in food litigation. This 60-minute webcast
Industry Insights: FDA Extends Deadline for Eliminating PHOs
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration determined in 2015 that Partially Hydrogenated Oils (PHOs) are not “Generally Recognized as Safe,” or GRAS. PHOs are the leading source of trans fats in the human diet.
In the nutrition industry, much is disputed, but the unhealthy nature of trans fats, a form of unsaturated fat, is not. Trans fats are fats that have a unique chemical structure; they contain double bonds on opposite sides, whereas other unsaturated fats have double bonds on the same side, and saturated fats lack any double bonds.
Source: http://chemistrybasics.edublogs.org/2007/02/16/trans-fats/
Industry Insights: GMO Labeling Update
The USDA and the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) have set forth the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (“the Rule”) for labeling food products that have been genetically modified. The Rule requires food companies to disclose information about bioengineered food and food ingredient content by labeling such food as “BE” (bioengineered). According to its summary, the purposes of the Rule are to share information with consumers and to minimize implementation and compliance costs that would otherwise be passed on to consumers.
The USDA is proposing two lists:
- highly adopted bioengineered crops (e.g. canola, field corn, cotton, soybeans and sugar beets); and
- bioengineered crops that are not highly adopted (e.g. non-browning apples, sweet corn, papayas, potatoes and summer squash varieties).
Foods containing highly adopted crops would be required to be labeled as bioengineered. Otherwise, foods containing crops that are not highly adopted would be required to be labeled that they “may be bioengineered” or “may contain bioengineered ingredients.”
Industry Insights: Doing Business in the Cannabis Industry
The cannabis industry is growing rapidly (by one estimate, the market for recreational cannabis was $9.2 billion in 2017, and is expected to grow as large as $47.3 billion by 2027). Many companies are seriously assessing the potential profit of indirect involvement in the industry by providing services to or investing in businesses that distribute,
Food Litigation Year in Review
Perkins Coie has published its first Food Litigation Year in Review, covering key developments and trends in food litigation for calendar year 2016. The Year in Review’s key insights include data-driven assessments of how (and where) the plaintiffs’ bar has continued its assault on the food industry in 2016. That data reflect the filing
Food Company Execs Looking to Minimize Criminal Exposure, DOJ Officials Offer Guidance
With the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ’s) increasing focus on prosecuting “responsible corporate officers” under the criminal misdemeanor provision of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), they have offered some guidance for food companies to demonstrate their commitment to safety compliance. For more information and guidance click here for the full article posted on
Court Grants Defendants’ Motion, Staying Consolidated Action Involving “Healthy and All Natural” Claim on Primary Jurisdiction Grounds
In re Kind LLC “Healthy and All Natural” Litig., No. 1:15-md-02645 (S.D.N.Y.): The Court entered an order granting in part Defendants’ motion to dismiss this consolidated putative class action asserting violations of multiple states’ consumer protection laws and raising claims for breach of express warranty, unjust enrichment, and negligent misrepresentation. Plaintiffs allege Defendants deceptively marketed its snack food products with labels including the words “healthy,” “all natural,” and/or “non GMO.”
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FDA Sharpens Focus on Added Sugar
About 17 months after announcing a proposed rule that would require listing the amount of “Added Sugar” in food products in the Nutrition Facts label, the FDA has proposed an amended rule that would also require listing the percentage daily value for added sugar.
Following consumer research and the issuance of additional scientific evidence establishing