Personal Injury Law

Take-Aways from November 3 Webinar: Making Good Marketing Claims: Product Labeling Pitfalls, Third-Party Certification and "Green Washing"

By Kenneth Odza

Tuesday, November 3, we held our second webinar in a three-part series on bringing sustainable food products to market. Thanks again to our presenters and attendees. The recorded webcast was archived and is accessible at this link. Click here to access a PDF copy of the presentation slides.

Take-aways from the second webinar include:

• With the exception of the FDA's policy on 'natural' claims, it has been silent on 'green claims.'

• 'Natural' could be hottest claim on the market but is becoming controversial. Food companies should continually monitor the marketplace to see which claims are drawing challenges.

• Food companies should pay attention to consumers union findings regarding eco-label credibility.

• While third-party certification may not help every food business, certification is a tool that supports your brand and your marketing/sales strategy.

• Retail leaders in sustainability, such as Burgerville, aspire for continuity of sustainability in each link in its supply chain.

• To understand the FTC green guidelines companies need to appreciate three key points: substantiation, specificity and qualification.

• To avoid 'green washing' issues, food companies need to understand the complex matrix of federal, state, local and foreign statutes, regulations and guidelines governing 'green' advertising.

I hope you can join me, Steve Marinkovich from Propel Insurance, my colleague at Stoel Rives, Anne Glazer, and Peter Truitt from Truitt Bros., Inc. on November 17, at 9 am PST, noon EST, (live Twitter feed at #sustainlaw) for the last webinar in the series as we discuss the following:

• Preventing and Dealing with Consumer Fraud, Unfair Trade and False Advertising Claims from Consumers and Competitors

• Real-Life Businesses Approaches to Sustainability, Product Labeling and Marketing

• Coping with Increased Risks of Food-Borne Illness from Local or Small Farm Products

• Insurance Coverage You Need, Think You May Have but Don't Have or Think You May Want but Shouldn't Get

Full post as published by Food Liability Law Blog on November 05, 2009 (boomark / email).