On May 28, 2024, Chief Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu, of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, certified a class of consumers in an action against Barilla Foods....more
6/20/2024
/ Advertising ,
Ascertainable Class ,
Barilla ,
Class Certification ,
CLRA ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Country of Origin ,
False Advertising ,
Food Labeling ,
Food Manufacturers ,
FRCP 23 ,
Marketing ,
Misleading Impressions ,
Product Packaging ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Unfair Competition Law (UCL)
Over the past several years, federal courts have rarely allowed slack-fill class actions to survive beyond the motion to dismiss phase. Whether the plaintiffs allege that the packaging is misleading or that the slack-fill is...more
1/19/2022
/ Breach of Warranty ,
Class Action ,
Consumer Fraud ,
False Advertising ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Misleading Impressions ,
Misrepresentation ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Product Packaging ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Slack-Fill Suits
In October of this year, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals analyzed the issue of federal preemption in the context of poultry product labeling. The plaintiff in Cohen v. ConAgra Brands, Inc., brought a putative class action...more
12/16/2021
/ All Natural ,
ConAgra ,
Department of Agriculture ,
False Advertising ,
Food Labeling ,
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) ,
Misleading Impressions ,
Online Advertisements ,
Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA). ,
Preemption ,
Product Labels ,
Putative Class Actions ,
State Law Claims ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
The uptick in product labeling lawsuits has been anything but vanilla in 2021. After the avalanche of lawsuits in 2019 and 2020 targeting products marketed as containing vanilla-flavoring were largely dismissed by federal...more
Federal courts continue to demonstrate lacking patience for nationwide product labeling class actions premised on purported label misstatements regarding the sourcing of vanilla flavoring....more
On June 8, 2020, Judge Katherine Polk Failla in the Southern District of New York dismissed a putative class action against TGI Friday’s (“Friday’s”) for alleged deceptive advertising....more
Last week U.S. District Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton granted Ghirardelli’s Motion to Dismiss a proposed class action involving the chocolatier’s packaging of its white baking chips....more
On March 19, 2020, Magistrate Judge Goodman recommended certifying a Florida class of purchasers of Prevagen, a memory-enhancement product developed by Quincy Bioscience, LLC....more
When America’s war on heart disease was kicked into gear by President Eisenhower’s heart attack in 1955, dietary fat was deemed the culprit. In an effort to improve health, people sought low-fat alternatives to their favorite...more
3/31/2020
/ Beverage Manufacturers ,
Class Action ,
False Advertising ,
FDA Warning Letters ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Labeling ,
Injury-in-Fact ,
Nutrition Facts Labels ,
Preemption ,
Retail Market ,
Standing
Manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers of CBD products should embrace and participate in reform to address public health concerns, write Bilzin Sumberg attorneys. Consumer groups like the Arthritis Foundation are stepping...more
1/16/2020
/ Agribusiness ,
Business Development ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Distributors ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Essential Health Benefits ,
False Advertising ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Cultivation ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Manufacturers ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Marijuana-Infused Edibles ,
Medical Foods ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Plant Based Products ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Retail Market ,
Retailers ,
Startups ,
Suppliers ,
Vaping
In the Wake of Monsanto, All Eyes are on the Cheerios Glyphosate Case -
Doss v. General Mills, No. 18-cv-61924 (S.D. Fla Aug.17, 2018) -
The Skinny: Last fall, a jury in California awarded $289 million to a plaintiff...more
4/26/2019
/ Beverage Manufacturers ,
Children's Products ,
False Advertising ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Marketing ,
General Mills ,
Monsanto ,
Pesticides ,
Product Labels ,
Standing ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Exposure
Food and Beverage Deception Cases Still Must Pass the “Are you Serious?” Test -
Becerra v. The Coca-Cola Co., No. 17-cv-05916, 2018 WL 1070823 (N.D. Cal. Feb. 27, 2018) -
The Skinny: It is not Coca-Cola’s fault if you...more
In the Third and Eleventh Circuits, Ascertainability Continues to be a Major Certification Hurdle -
In Re: Tropicana Orange Juice Mktg. & Sales Practices Litig., No. 2:11-cv-07382, 2018 WL 497071 (D.N.J. Jan. 22, 2018)....more
On September 26, 2018, the Honorable Judge Robert N. Scola entered an Order denying class certification in a consumer deceptive advertising case. Plaintiffs claimed that the use of the phrase “born in brazil” on containers of...more
10/19/2018
/ Advertising ,
Ascertainable Class ,
Beverage Manufacturers ,
CAFA ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Dismissals ,
False Advertising ,
Food Labeling ,
FRCP 23 ,
Retail Market ,
Subject Matter Jurisdiction ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
At a recent Politico event, Federal Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb signaled the agency’s shift to a new era of more stringent enforcement in the dairy business. Gottlieb did so with an amusing quote:...more
8/17/2018
/ False Advertising ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Labeling ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Marketing ,
Food Supply ,
Misbranding ,
Misleading Impressions ,
Nutrition Facts Labels ,
Plant Based Products ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Standards
Food and beverage manufacturers are well accustomed to heeding counsel’s advice of dotting their “I’s” and crossing their “T’s” to ensure their product labels comply with applicable governmental regulations....more
Have you ever taken a sip of your Grande Starbucks latte and thought to yourself with disgust, “I can’t believe that barista topped off my latte with milk foam!” Or polished off an eight-piece bucket of Kentucky Fried...more