Tag: Food labeling

Yogurt To Be Kidding Me: The Cultured Crisis of Coconut “Yogurt”

By Melissa Deng*

Coconut Cult, Cocojune, Cocoyo –– lately, it feels like these names have taken center stage in the yogurt fridge of large retail grocery stores.  Coconut “yogurts” have been all the rage, fueled by social media buzz and their branding as a vegan alternative to traditional dairy yogurt.   Typically sitting alongside other yogurt competitors in the dairy fridge, Cocoyo touts itself as a “raw coconut yogurt” with “200 billion probiotics.”  A quick search for Coconut Cult on TikTok reveals videos from proclaimed dieticians and ordinary food influencers claiming that in order to reap the full benefits, you can only eat one spoonful of its multi-serve jar a day.  Some content creators lay out other “rules” as follows: don’t you dare use a metal spoon, lest you invoke the wrath of the live cultured probiotics; don’t double-dip (a maxim on its website that appears on some jars); the list goes on.

Continue reading “Yogurt To Be Kidding Me: The Cultured Crisis of Coconut “Yogurt”” →

MSU Global Food Law Current Issues Conference

by Diana Winters

I was lucky over the last few days to attend and present at the MSU College of Law Global Food Law Program’s fantastic Global Food Law Current Issues Conference. At the conference there was a mix of academics, practitioners, scientists, and industry representatives, and a truly global focus. Wednesday’s discussions of dietary supplement labeling, developments in organic foods, issues regarding animal food labeling were fascinating, and the keynote on food litigation by Bill Marler, was, for a food law aficionado, a dream come true. Thursday’s talk on professional consumers in China and their effect on food safety provided an opportunity to reflect on the absence of a citizen suit provision in the FDCA, and the discussion of new technologies in product supply chains was a chance to engage with blockchain, 3D printing, and other fun stuff. These are only a few highlights of the conference, which also included discussions of intellectual property, food security, and innovation in the food space, as well as opportunities to explore the food and environment of greater Lansing, Michigan. Note: if you find yourself in East Lansing, don’t miss the Zaha Hadid designed Broad Museum of Art—a short walk from campus (picture above).

 

The value of a conference that provides a space for academics, practitioners, and scientists to meet and mingle is immense, and I’m so glad I went.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb Proposes Sweeping Label Updates – COMMENTS OPEN

by Diana Winters

On March 29, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb spoke at the Consumer Federation of America’s National Food Policy Conference about how the agency “can make further improvements in public health by both empowering consumers with information and facilitating industry innovation toward healthier foods that consumers want.” He focused not just on reducing chronic disease, but also on how better information can help to narrow nutrition and health disparities.

As to specific steps, Commissioner Gottlieb discussed: (1) modernizing health claims, (2) re-defining “healthy”, (3) changing the process by which the agency reviews qualified health claims, (4) clarifying the term “natural”, and (5) modernizing the names for ingredients, and standards of identity. He also talked about implementing the new nutrition facts label and menu labeling rules, and working on reducing sodium in foods.

You can watch the speech here.

For an administration committed to deregulation, Commissioner Gottlieb’s stance is surprising, and exciting. The Center for Science in the Public Interest provided FDA with some great preliminary suggestions for moving forward. I’m opening comments for this post – what do you think about Commissioner Gottlieb’s speech? What should or shouldn’t FDA do?

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