Personal Injury Law

Prop 65 Targets Cooked Food, Coffee and Vitamin Supplements

By Kenneth Odza

This blog entry was originally written by Lee Smith from the California Environmental Law Blog.

The Industry Acrylamide Coalition (Coalition) filed suit against the State of California Office of Environmental Health  Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), the agency that manages and revised the Prop 65 list to include 4-metheylimidazole (4-MEI), as a carcinogen.  4-MEI is often found in cooked foods. The Coalition argues that the third party report on which the listing was based, from the National Toxicity Program (NTP), is insufficient to support a valid Prop 65 listing.  The complaint, which was filed in Sacramento, alleges that OEHHA failed to consider the entire file of evidence before making its decision.  The Coalition's complaint also indicates that 4-MEI is created during normal cooking of food and ingredients and cannot easily be removed.  The Coalition includes the American Beverage Association, the California League of Food Processors, and the Grocery Manufacturers Association of USA.

Acrylamide – In Your Coffee?

In a similar manner, the National Coffee Association is coordinating the joint defense of a number of coffee roasters and retailers with respect to a 60-day notice served on 40 roasters.  The chemical at issue is acrylamide, which is formed when certain proteins are heated.  Original scrutiny for this chemical concentrated on potato products such as french fries, but apparently the same chemical reaction occurs in coffee when it is roasted.  In addition, other beverages that also contain caffeine, such as soft and energy drinks, have also received 60-day notices.

Dietary Supplements and Prop. 65

A dietary supplement company has been ordered to pay 2.65 million as part of a joint settlement with district attorneys in California.  This is one of the larger suits filed and settled by a public enforcement entity, other than the California Attorney General.  People v. Irwin Naturals, Inc., Orange County Superior Court, Case No. 30-2011-00445453.

Irwin Naturals was alleged to have made false and misleading representations with respect to the marketing and sales of its products.  The products were advertised as having Hoodia Gordonii, an alleged appetite suppressant; however, lab results found that the chemical was not present and triggered a mislabeling suit.  Additionally, the suit alleged that many of the products also exceeded the Prop. 65 level of  proposed Maximum Allowable Dose Level ('MADL') of .5 micrograms/dA1.  Most of the indicated products were green tea products, sold without the Prop. 65 warning as required.

As part of the settlement, 1.95M in penalties were paid to help enforce state consumer protection laws, $100,000 in restitution, and $600,000 in set aside for investigation costs.  Reportedly, prosecutors felt that this prosecution was necessary in part because the FDA does not regulate dietary supplements.

Full post as published by Food Liability Law Blog on March 17, 2011 (boomark / email).