The Massachusetts Bar Association will host its Second Annual
Consumer Advocacy Symposium on Wednesday, November 18, from 4 to 7
p.m. at the Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston. This event is
free and open to the public.
The symposium will include panel discussions on the legal issues
and litigation triggered by food labeling and mislabeling. (See
panel info below.) Please join us to learn more about this
burgeoning area of law.
At the symposium, two companies will also be honored with the
MBA's Pinnacle Awards for their commitment to protecting consumers.
The Pinnacle Awards highlight businesses that have taken proactive
steps that benefit consumers in Massachusetts.
The event will conclude with a complimentary beer/wine
networking reception.
Consumer Advocacy Symposium: Food labeling and
mislabeling
Panel 1: Litigation over food labeling
This panel will focus on recent litigation challenging the
labeling of food as healthy and natural, when there is evidence
that the food in question is not healthy or natural.
Examples include several cases that were filed in Massachusetts,
including one challenging the labeling of Twinings tea as
containing levels of anti-oxidants that it, allegedly, does not
contain; a case challenging the labeling of Coca Cola as "natural";
and a case challenging yogurt as containing "evaporated cane
juice," which is another way of saying "sugar."
Panelists:
- Andrew Rainer, Litigation Director, Public Health Advocacy
Institute
- John Roddy, Partner, Bailey & Glasser, Boston
- Joshua Solomon, Partner, Pollock Solomon Duffy, Boston
Panel 2: Seafood mislabeling
This panel will focus on the legal issues that arose from the
mislabeling of seafood, first reported in the Boston Globe
spotlight series, and the steps that have been taken to try to
rectify these issues.
Panelists:
- John Connelly, National Fisheries Institute, Virginia
- Logan Gregory, Deputy Director, Office of Law Enforcement,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Gloucester
- Richard Heller, General Counsel, Legal Sea Foods, Boston
- Beth Lowell, Oceana Institute, New York