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Court denies Tofurky appeal to Missouri meat label law

March 31, 2021 from FoodDive:

"The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the Missouri law that bans the use of the term "meat" for marketing products that do not come from livestock or poultry. The ruling supports a 2019 District Court ruling denying the request for a preliminary injunction by Tofurky, the Good Food Institute, Animal Legal Defense Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri.

• Missouri was sued in federal court the day before a state law went into effect which would ban plant-based and cell-cultured meat producers from using the words "meat," "beef," "chicken" and "sausages" on their labels, even if the terms "plant-based" or "vegan" are also used, Food Navigator reported.
• The plaintiffs are the Good Food Institute, Animal Legal Defense Fund, American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and the plant-based brand Tofurky. Their complaint argues the new state law is unconstitutional and would criminalize the word "meat." They asked the court for a preliminary injunction to stop enforcement until the lawsuit is settled.
• The Missouri law — the first in the country — was passed in May as part of an omnibus agriculture bill and was supported by the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association as a way to reduce shopper confusion and protect local ranchers. The law includes language prohibiting "misrepresenting a product as meat that is not derived from harvested production [of] livestock or poultry." Violations would be subject to a $1,000 fine and a one-year prison term."

Tofurky sues Louisiana over plant-based meat labeling law

October 12, 2019 FoodDive:

• "Tofurky is the plaintiff in a federal lawsuit that claims a Louisiana state law prohibiting meat terminology on food not derived from slaughtered animals is unconstitutional. The lawsuit was jointly filed by the Good Food Institute and the Animal Legal Defense Fund."
• "Under the Louisiana law, plant-based meat companies can be fined up to $500 per product, per day for using terms including "burger" and "sausage." It was signed into law by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on June 11, 2019, and took effect Oct. 1. The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, which enforces the law, did not respnd to comment when contacted by Food Dive."
• "While several states have passed similar labeling laws targeting the plant-based meat industry, they have not held up well when challenged. A lawsuit in Mississippi got the state to change its labeling regulations. There are currently pending lawsuits about state labeling laws in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri."
• "Considering the track record of state laws that seek to limit labeling for plant-based products, this lawsuit could have been predicted last summer when the law was first signed. Plant-based meat companies — in conjunction with partners including the Good Food Institute, Animal Legal Defense Fund, American Civil Liberties Union and Plant Based Foods Association — have been active in their opposition to laws they claim restrict their right to free speech."
• "According to reporting at the time, Louisiana's law was written and passed in order to protect the state's agricultural industry. Proponents also said they hoped to end consumer confusion."
• "The lawsuit argues there is no evidence of confusion, and that consumers understand products from manufacturers, including Tofurky, are clearly labeled as plant based."
• "Louisiana's law, however, goes further than just plant-based meat. It also prohibits anything that is not actually rice from having "rice" on its label, and would prohibit cell-based meat from being labeled as conventional meat."
• "Because the Louisiana suit and all the others about plant-based meat were filed in federal court, the outcome of this case may be determined relatively quickly. If any of the previous cases actually go to trial, the precedent will likely be applied to all of them — and future labeling laws regarding plant-based meat. States have not had the best track record on these laws — and federal lawmakers have been unsuccessful in getting a national law even considered — but the pattern may continue without a definitive legal precedent.'

A Brexit Passover food shortage is forcing the Jews of Ireland and Northern Ireland to work together

March 24, 2021 from the JTA

"Since 2016, it has become a staple of British and Irish political analysis to say that the tangled Brexit trade arrangements will push Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland closer together. Ultimately, it could lead to a United Ireland, some analysts say."

"his year, in the run-up to Passover, the two countries’ Jewish communities are showing one unusual sign of closer collaboration between the countries. Thanks to a Passover food shortage brought on in part by the post-Brexit trade agreement signed three months ago, holiday supplies are being closely coordinated between Dublin and Belfast, and Belfast’s Jews are traveling down to Dublin to collect products like matzah for Passover."

"Great Britain is normally the main supplier of kosher and kosher for Passover products for both the Irish and Northern Irish Jewish communities. But as part of the U.K.’s withdrawal from the European Union, new regulatory checks have been introduced on trade between Britain and the E.U., raising the cost of exporting British products into members of the European single market, like Ireland."

"Since it is part of the U.K., one would expect Northern Ireland to have maintained its ability to freely procure supplies from England and elsewhere. But under the so-called “Northern Ireland Protocol,” part of the Brexit agreement, Northern Ireland is to remain within the E.U.’s single market for goods as part of an attempt to keep the border between it and the Republic of Ireland open."

"So the Jews of Belfast have run into the same hurdles as their coreligionists to the south."

"London has introduced a temporary grace period in an attempt to ease disruptions by temporarily suspending some checks on imports into Northern Ireland, but the underlying difficulties have remained."

"The fortunes of the Belfast and Dublin Jewish communities have diverged in recent years. After decades of emigration, Belfast’s community has shrunk to below 100 members, the vast majority of whom are elderly.

"Across the border, Dublin’s Jews have benefitted from an influx of young Jews coming to work in the republic’s booming technology sector. For the first time since the 1950s, when Ireland was an unlikely source of kosher meat imports to Israel, the community is growing again. Current estimates place the number of Jews in Dublin at around 2,000."

"While Jewish communities continue to shrink and consolidate across the U.K. as populations condense into cities such as London and Manchester, cooperation might seem inevitable."

Israel: Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef to Avichai Mandelblit: 'Freeze ruling allowing hametz in hospitals'

March 10, 2021 - from Arutz 7 :

"Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef sent a letter to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, requesting that he act to delay the implementation of a ruling which would force Israeli hospitals to allow hametz (leavened products) to be brought in over Passover."

"In his letter, Rabbi Yosef requested to delay the implementation of the ruling by ten months, so as to allow the Knesset to enact legislation that will prevent offense to the Passover-observant public."

Hillsdale Furniture Recalls Jennings Counter and Bar Stools Due to Fall Hazard

March 10, 2021 - from CPSC :

This recall involves Hillsdale Furniture’s Jennings counter and bar stools with date codes between 08/2020 and 01/06/2021. The date code is on the bottom of the seat. The recalled counter and bar stools have a tan wooden seat, a wooden back and a metal base and were sold in counter and bar heights.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Jennings counter and bar stools and contact Hillsdale Furniture for a free repair kit.

The firm received reports of 21 stool seats either that broke off their bases or had loose welding. No injuries have been reported.

Sold At: Raymour, Nebraska Furniture, Mathis Bros. Furniture, and other furniture stores nationwide from October 2020 through January 2021 for about $200.

Consumer Contact: Hillsdale Furniture at 800-368-0999 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, email at recall@hillsdalefurniture.com, or online https://hillsdalefurniture.com and click on "Product Recalls” located at the bottom of the page for more information.

COVID-19 Update: USDA, FDA Underscore Current Epidemiologic and Scientific Information Indicating No Transmission of COVID-19 Through Food or Food Packaging

February 18, 2021 - from FDA:

After more than a year since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was declared a global health emergency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to underscore that there is no credible evidence of food or food packaging associated with or as a likely source of viral transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus causing COVID-19.

It’s particularly important to note that COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that is spread from person to person, unlike foodborne or gastrointestinal viruses, such as norovirus and hepatitis A that often make people ill through contaminated food. While there are relatively few reports of the virus being detected on food and packaging, most studies focus primarily on the detection of the virus’ genetic fingerprint rather than evidence of transmission of virus resulting in human infection. Given that the number of virus particles that could be theoretically picked up by touching a surface would be very small and the amount needed for infection via oral inhalation would be very high, the chances of infection by touching the surface of food packaging or eating food is considered to be extremely low.

The USDA and the FDA are sharing this update based upon the best available information from scientific bodies across the globe, including a continued international consensus that the risk is exceedingly low for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to humans via food and food packaging. For example, a recent opinion from the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF)External Link Disclaimer, stated: “Despite the billions of meals and food packages handled since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, to date there has not been any evidence that food, food packaging or food handling is a source or important transmission route for SARS-CoV-2 resulting in COVID-19.” Additional literature reviewsExternal Link Disclaimer and analysesExternal Link Disclaimer from other countries agree.

n addition, considering the more than 100 million cases of COVID-19, we have not seen epidemiological evidence of food or food packaging as the source of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to humans. Furthermore, transmission has not been attributed to food products or packaging through national and international surveillance systems. Food business operations continue to produce a steady supply of safe food following current Good Manufacturing Practices and preventive controls, focusing on good hygiene practices and keeping workers safe.