Regulatory

Stay informed on the latest beverage industry regulatory updates involving the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or United States Department of Agriculture(USDA), as well as news regarding lawsuits, labeling and class-actions. Understand the evolving beverage regulatory and legal environment which can directly impact your product claims, intellectual property, packaging and ingredients.

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How USDA’s Organic Fraud Rule Could Impact CPG Brands

A proposed rule by USDA, ‘Strengthening Organic Enforcement,’ aims to curb organic fraud via more oversight of the organic marketplace, including production, handling and sales. If implemented, it would be the largest update to organic oversight in 20 years.

Distributors Sue Fiji Over Contract Dispute

In a complaint filed in Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County on September 11, three distributors — North Carolina-based Carolina Beverage Corp. and Dixie Riverside and Alligator Beverage, both headquartered in Georgia — claim Fiji Water broke their respective contracts by forcing retailers in their sales territories to stop accepting product deliveries and making no attempt to negotiate terms to service those accounts

FDA Extends Nutrition Label Compliance Deadline to 2020

Under the Obama administration, brands had until July 26, 2018, to adjust all packaging. With the new extension, manufacturers with $10 million or more in annual food sales will now have until Jan. 1, 2020; manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual food sales have until Jan. 1, 2021.

WTRMLN WTR Targeted In Class Action Suit

In a complaint filed against parent company World Waters LLC and World Waters Holdings, LLC in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of New York on July 8, attorneys for lead plaintiff Michael Pizzirusso argue that WTRMLN WTR’s product labels, in describing the liquid with the words “cold pressed juiced watermelon,” falsely represent that it consists of only watermelon juice.

Ex-Employees File Lawsuits Against Bai

Three former employees have sued the company and its recently departed founder and CEO, Ben Weiss, for allegedly cheating them out of the fair market value of their ownership stakes in the company ahead of its $1.7 billion sale to Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS) last November.

Vita Coco Calls Drinks “Squid Free,” Consumer to Pursue Legal Action

Vita Coco aimed to put a lighter note on a media blitz that occurred this week after several media outlets reported a New York woman had found a mysterious object in a carton of coconut water. In a press release issued today, the company stated that its beverages are “delicious, refreshing, safe and most definitely ‘squid free.’”

Vita Coco Investigating Strange Object Found in Carton

Vita Coco has launched an internal investigation of its product line after a New York woman reported finding a foreign object -- what she called an “octopus looking thing” in her coconut water -- prompting a media frenzy after a Facebook post last month that has now been shared more than 52,000 times.

JÙS By Julie Warned By FDA Over Health Claims

The letter cited claims from the JÙS By Julie website stating that several of its cold-pressed juices and soups included ingredients that could “fight diabetes,” “lower bad cholesterol,” “control blood pressure” and “offsetting common life disrupting ailments such as depression and ADHD,” among other benefits.

In the Courtroom: Craft Root Beer Maker Battles Monster

Craft root beer maker Thunder Beast faces a trademark infringement suit from Monster Energy, while Unique Beverage Company is hit with class action litigation over allegations its coconut flavored sparkling water is deceiving to consumers

New Food Dye Bill Could Have Suppliers Seeing Red

Earlier this month, State Senator Bob Wieckowski, a Democrat, introduced California SB 504, a bill that would require warning labels on all food containing synthetic dyes, including those sold in restaurants. If passed, the law would be the first of its kind in any state.

Dairy Alternatives Brace for Battle on Capitol Hill

The Good Food Institute, which focuses on the growth of plant-based and cultured “clean” protein and dairy products and businesses, submitted last week a citizen petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which calls for the agency to allow alternative beverages to continue using the term “milk."