Proskauer on Advertising Law
Proskauer on Advertising Law

Tag Archives: Labeling

Plaintiff Fails to Butter Up Court with Mashed Potato Suit

By Lawrence Weinstein, Jeff Warshafsky and Carl Mazurek on Posted in Deceptive Trade Practices, Labeling Claims
We have previously written about decisions addressing food product labels, and the messages that these labels convey about the products’ ingredients. In Jessani v. Monini, the Second Circuit found that a product label for “white truffle flavored” olive oil did not imply that the product contained actual white truffles. Not long afterwards, the Second Circuit … Continue Reading

Court Lets Trader Joe’s Out of Sticky Situation Over Honey Advertising

By Lawrence Weinstein, Carl Mazurek and Marc Palmer on Posted in Deceptive Trade Practices, FDCA, Labeling Claims
A magistrate judge in the Northern District of California recently dismissed a putative class action alleging that Trader Joe’s misled its consumers about the purity of its manuka honey.  Moore v. Trader Joe’s Co., No. 4:18-CV-04418-KAW, 2019 WL 2579219 (N.D. Cal. June 24, 2019). Plaintiffs commenced a putative class action lawsuit alleging that Trader Joe’s … Continue Reading

Suit Over Use of American Heart Association Certification Mark Maintains a Pulse

By Alexander Kaplan and Carl Mazurek on Posted in Class Actions, Deceptive Trade Practices, Labeling Claims
Is it deceptive to label food products with the mark of the American Heart Association (“AHA”) without disclosing that the AHA was paid for use of its certification mark? This was the question raised by a putative class action lawsuit in the Northern District of New York, which largely survived dismissal on March 25, 2019. … Continue Reading

Justin Timberlake Waves Bai Bai Bai to Partially Dismissed “No Artificial Flavors” Beverage Mislabeling Suit

By Lawrence Weinstein, Jennifer Yang and Monique Curry on Posted in Class Actions, Deceptive Trade Practices, Labeling Claims
Last month, a judge in the Southern District of California partially dismissed a putative class action against beverage company Bai Brands, LLC (“Bai”) and related defendants. Branca v. Bai Brands, LLC, No. 18-00757 (S.D. Cal. 2019). Plaintiff Kevin Branca filed this lawsuit against Bai, its parent company Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. (“DPSG”), the CEOs of … Continue Reading

California Court Sours on Starbucks Gummies Lawsuit

By Lawrence Weinstein, Jeff Warshafsky and Ariella Muller on Posted in Deceptive Trade Practices, Labeling Claims
Several months ago we covered two Second Circuit decisions that addressed false advertising claims related to ingredients and product labeling of foods, which reached differing results. Applying similar principles, a recent decision from the Southern District of California found that Starbucks’ packaging for its sour gummy candies did not reasonably suggest that the candies were … Continue Reading

Ninth Circuit Denies Review of Class Certification in Beer Labeling Brouhaha

By Lawrence Weinstein, Carl Mazurek and Ariella Muller on Posted in Class Actions, Deceptive Trade Practices, Labeling Claims
In a 2-1 decision memorialized in a one-page order, a Ninth Circuit panel recently denied Kona Brewing’s request for leave to appeal a grant of class certification to a consumer class claiming that the company’s branding deceptively communicated the false message that Kona beer is brewed in Hawaii. Broomfield v. Craft Brew Alliance, No. 18-80145 … Continue Reading

Snack Bar Class Action Powers On After USDA Action and FDA Inaction

By Lawrence Weinstein, Jennifer Yang and Russell Kostelak on Posted in Class Actions, Regulatory
Unlike a fine wine, a snack bar does not get better with age. Neither, apparently, does litigation. Last month, Judge William H. Pauley III in the Southern District of New York lifted a years-long stay in a lawsuit against KIND LLC concerning the allegedly false marketing of KIND snack products as “all-natural” and “non-GMO.” In … Continue Reading

SDNY Judge Not Sweet on Dannon’s Bid for a Preliminary Injunction

By Lawrence Weinstein, Jeff Warshafsky and Emily H. Kline on Posted in Deceptive Trade Practices, Injunctions, Lanham Act
In a battle of leading yogurt beverage makers, Chief Judge Colleen McMahon of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York recently denied Dannon’s application for a preliminary injunction in its false advertising suit against Chobani. The result of Judge McMahon’s decision is that Chobani can continue to sell its yogurt drinks … Continue Reading

State of Nature: District Courts Diverge in Treatment of “Natural” False Advertising Claims

By Lawrence Weinstein, Carl Mazurek and Kelly Landers Hawthorne on Posted in Labeling Claims
Two recent contrasting decisions in class action false advertising cases alleging misleading uses of the term “natural” for food products underscore the difficulty in predicting the likelihood of achieving an early stage dismissal in these cases. Late last year, Judge Richard Seeborg in the Northern District of California denied Williams-Sonoma’s motion to dismiss an alleged … Continue Reading

Kimberly-Clark Unable to Flush Wet Wipes Case

By Lawrence Weinstein, Jeff Warshafsky and Aliza Hassine on Posted in Class Actions, Deceptive Trade Practices, Labeling Claims
On December 10, 2018, the Supreme Court denied certiorari in Kimberly-Clark Corp, v. Davidson, No. 18-304 (2018), in which Kimberly-Clark sought to overturn a controversial Ninth Circuit decision allowing a plaintiff in a false advertising case to seek injunctive relief on behalf of an alleged consumer class notwithstanding that plaintiff’s complaint acknowledged she was aware … Continue Reading

Failure to Disclose Claims Washed Away in Facial Scrub Case

By Lawrence Weinstein, Jennifer Yang and Marc Palmer on Posted in Class Actions, Deceptive Trade Practices, Labeling Claims
On December 17, 2018, Judge Andrew J. Guilford in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted defendant Unilever’s motion for summary judgment, dismissing all claims in a putative class action concerning St. Ives Apricot Scrub. Browning v. Unilever United States, Inc., 2018 WL 6615064 (C.D. Cal. Dec. 17, 2018). Plaintiffs alleged … Continue Reading

No Use Crying Over Spilled (Almond) Milk: Ninth Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Almond Milk Labeling Suit

By Lawrence Weinstein, Jeff Warshafsky and Anisha Shenai-Khatkhate on Posted in Class Actions, FDCA, Labeling Claims, Primary Jurisdiction/Preemption, Typicality Requirement
On December 20, 2018, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal without leave to amend of a putative class action complaint against Blue Diamond Growers, which alleged that the term “almond milk” on Blue Diamond’s beverages was misleading. Painter v. Blue Diamond Growers, — Fed.Appx. —, 2018 WL 6720560 (9th Cir. Dec. 20, 2018). The named … Continue Reading

Cheez-Its Class Action Revived in “Whole” by Second Circuit

By Lawrence Weinstein and Jeff Warshafsky on Posted in Class Actions, Deceptive Trade Practices, Labeling Claims
We recently blogged about the Second Circuit’s December 3, 2018 decision in Jessani v. Monini, where, applying the reasonable consumer standard, the Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed the dismissal with prejudice of a complaint alleging that the label of an extra virgin olive oil product advertised as “truffle flavored” falsely implied that the product contained … Continue Reading

Eleventh Circuit Works Out Preclusion and Preemption Issues in Protein Powder Dispute

By Lawrence Weinstein, Jeff Warshafsky and Emily H. Kline on Posted in Labeling Claims, Lanham Act, Primary Jurisdiction/Preemption
On December 4, 2018, the Eleventh Circuit partially reversed the dismissal of Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals’ suit against HBS International Corp. for alleged violations of the Lanham Act and Georgia’s Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. HBS International Corp., No. 17-13884 (11th Cir. 2018). Hi-Tech alleged that the label of HBS’s protein-powder supplement – … Continue Reading

Snack Bar Class Action is KIND-ly Stayed Pending USDA Regulation on Bioengineered Food

By Lawrence Weinstein, Jeff Warshafsky and Carl Mazurek on Posted in Class Actions, Primary Jurisdiction/Preemption, Regulatory
Earlier this month, Judge William H. Pauley III in the Southern District of New York stayed a lawsuit against the snack bar maker KIND LLC, styled as a class action, alleging that KIND falsely marketed its products as “all natural” and “non-GMO.”  In re KIND LLC “Healthy & All Natural” Litigation, 2018 WL 1156009 (S.D.N.Y. … Continue Reading

Standing to Assert Injunctive Relief is Not in the Tea Leaves, Court Says

By Lawrence Weinstein and Tiffany Woo on Posted in Class Actions, Labeling Claims
In Lanovaz v. Twinings North America, Inc., Judge Whyte of the Northern District of California recently decided that the plaintiff lacked standing to pursue injunctive relief, and granted summary judgment for defendant Twinings.  The class action alleged that Twinings tea products were misbranded under California law as “natural source[s] of antioxidants.”… Continue Reading

De-certifiably Natural – Ninth Circuit Finds “All Natural” Label May be Misleading While Upholding Class Decertification

By Lawrence Weinstein, Jennifer Yang and Evelyn Pang on Posted in Class Actions, Labeling Claims, Regulatory
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently reversed in part and affirmed in part a Northern District of California ruling (discussed previously, here) concerning the “All Natural Fruit” labeling on Dole’s packaged fruit products. Brazil v. Dole Packaged Foods, LLC, No. 14-17480, 2016 WL 5539863 (9th Cir. Sept. 30, 2016). The appeals court reversed the lower court’s … Continue Reading

FDA New-trition Rules

By Alexander Kaplan and Daniel Werb on Posted in Regulatory
Last month, the FDA finalized amendments to the Nutrition Facts labeling rules for packaged foods and dietary supplements to reflect developments in nutrition science, including new scientific information regarding the link between diet and chronic diseases such as obesity and heart disease. Here are the highlights:… Continue Reading

“KIND” of Nutritious—FDA Permits “Healthy” Label and Agrees to Rethink Its Definition of “Healthy” Foods

By Lawrence Weinstein, Jennifer Yang and Evelyn Pang on Posted in Regulatory
The Food and Drug Administration has kindly permitted Kind LLC to use the term “healthy” on its snack bars again, but with the caveat that the term must only be used in text clearly presented as part of Kind’s corporate philosophy, and not as a claim about the products’ nutrient content.… Continue Reading

Snack Time: Court Finds Prominent Pictures of Produce on Fruit Snacks Not Deceptive

By Alexander Kaplan and Russell Kostelak on Posted in Class Actions, Labeling Claims
Last month, the Northern District of California held that prominent photographs of fruits and vegetables on Plum Organics’ food packaging were not enough to mislead a reasonable consumer into believing that the pictured produce were the product’s predominant ingredients. A picture on food packaging may speak a thousand words but, according to the court, reasonable … Continue Reading

Makers’ Mark Two: Bourbon Distiller Slips another “Handmade” False Advertising Suit

By Lawrence Weinstein and John Browning on Posted in Class Actions, Deceptive Trade Practices, Labeling Claims
In another blow to the class action plaintiff’s bar, a court in the Southern District of California has dismissed a false advertising class action against Maker’s Mark for describing its product as “handmade.” We recently covered a similar case involving the same bourbon and “handmade” claim in the Northern District of Florida, which was also … Continue Reading

Beer-Maker Puts an End to Brewhaha: Anheuser Busch Agrees to Settle Second of Two Class Action Lawsuits over Beer Origin Disclaimers

By Lawrence Weinstein, Alexander Kaplan and Jennifer L. Jones on Posted in Class Actions, Labeling Claims
Anheuser Busch recently agreed to settle a consumer class action over Beck’s Beer labeling that we previously reported on with regard to the uptick in consumer class actions proceeding past the pleading stage in the Southern District of Florida. Marty et al. v. Anheuser-Busch Cos., 13-cv-23656-JJO (S.D. Fla.). Anheuser-Busch’s decision to settle the Beck’s suit … Continue Reading

Procter & Gamble Must Say Goodbye to Proposed Amended Claim against Hello, while Hello Says Goodbye to Lawsuit

By Lawrence Weinstein, Celia Cohen and John Browning on Posted in Deceptive Trade Practices, Injunctions, Labeling Claims, Lanham Act
A lawsuit between Procter & Gamble (“P&G”) and Hello Products (“Hello”) – a toothpaste start up that promotes its products as “naturally friendly” – settled last week with the entry of a stipulated injunction, but Hello might still have reason to smile. Days before the settlement, the Southern District of New York rejected P&G’s motion … Continue Reading

Catch of the Day: Tuna Fish Brand StarKist Swims into a Sea of Trouble After Agreeing to Settle Claims Against It

By Lawrence Weinstein and Benjamin Rattner on Posted in Class Actions, Labeling Claims
StarKist Co. recently agreed in principle to a $12 million settlement with a putative class of plaintiffs concerning alleged under-filling of tuna fish cans. But agreeing on the dollar figure seems to have been the easy part; the parties in this bitterly-fought case have become embroiled in motion practice about the allocation of that $12 … Continue Reading
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