The recent Romaine lettuce recall—two in the last year—has turned the leafy green industry upside down. Flashbacks of the 2006 spinach recall in California’s Salinas Valley haunt the area’s farmers, the same farmers who after the 2006 outbreak implemented stringent practices through the California Leafy Green Marketing Agreement aimed at stopping the next outbreak.
But it happened again. Why?
Co-authored by Irene Chau
For anyone who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s, the first dietary supplement you took was probably the Flintstones multivitamin. How many of you remember taking them and enjoying that fruity flavor? Our parents wanted to make sure we wouldn’t become deficient in the essential minerals and vitamins our bodies needed because we refused to eat the actual vegetables that were served with our meals. Boy, have things changed! Continue Reading
Food industry associations and consumer advocacy groups have influenced the development of many key U.S. food policies and regulations, but the impact of consumer lawsuits upon the regulatory process cannot be denied. Since 2008, the number of class action lawsuits filed against food and beverage companies has increased from approximately twenty to more than a hundred lawsuits annually in recent years. While some of the legal challenges could be dismissed as frivolous, several cases have fueled the evolution of significant labeling and safety regulatory initiatives that are now under consideration by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Continue Reading
