25/08/2020

🔄 “Economía circular, aproximación a un modelo para Pymes exportadoras”


Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Administrativas, Vol. 2 No. 1 (2020) 62-77 

Resumen:

El objetivo del artículo es realizar una aproximación a un modelo que pueda ser usado por  las  pequeñas  y  medianas  empresas  (Pymes)  que  buscan oportunidades de optimizar el uso de materias primas, el diseño de eco-productos y ampliar las políticas internas que cambien pensamientos de compartir en vez de adquirir. Asimismo, transformar modelos tradicionales de consumo  lineal  e  ingresar  a  una  economía  que  aprovecha  todos  los  recursos, manteniéndolos útiles por mayor tiempo.  El método desarrollado en el artículo fue la búsqueda de información a nivel nacional e internacional, es decir, qué modelos se estaban aplicando y cómo se podrían ajustar a las Pymes colombianas. En ese sentido, el resultado de mayor importancia fue generalizar un método para las eco-industrias, basadas en la aplicación de tecnologías amigables con el medio ambiente y a la sustentabilidad.

Palabras clave:

economía circular; reciclaje; ciclo técnico; ecodiseño; Pymes exportadoras.

 

W.
 

17/08/2020

Milk revolution

 


The vegetarian and vegan market has grown exponentially in the last 10 years. In fact, the meat-free industry is forecast to increase in value to £658 million by 2021.

The alternative milk sub-sector provides a wide range of milks for vegetarians, vegans, lactose intolerant and anyone else wanting to dip their toe in the dairy-free range. Milk is currently available from a variety of products: almond, oat, hazelnut, coconut, rice and soy to name a few. However, some companies are set to further disrupt the dairy and alternative milk sectors.

Israeli start-up, Remilk, is investing in an alternative way to make non-dairy milk that harnesses microbes to produce a product that is adaptable and argued to be environmentally conscious. Remilk claims that its product does not have any of the health "pitfalls" that are associated with its dairy counterparts: no lactose, growth hormones, antibiotics or cholesterol. Such a product could potentially revolutionise not only the milk market, but also the alternative cheese market.

Another brand seeking to disrupt the dairy sector is Swedish oat-based milk brand, Oatly. Its advertising campaigns have been controversial – focusing on environmental destruction, the brand has become ever more political in its tact. Advertising campaigns, such as "It's like milk but made for humans", have catapulted the brand into an adversarial dance with Sweden's dairy lobby, LRF Mjölk, which sued the company in 2015 for disparaging cow milk and implying that it was bad for health. It won the case and Oatly was prevented from using the slogan and ordered to pay around £100,000.

Tension between dairy companies and non-dairy alternative brands can also be seen in the US. A Californian class action lawsuit was brought against Blue Diamond Growers, an almond milk producer, in 2018. The lawsuit alleged that the products manufactured by the company were mislabelled under Food and Drug Administration (FDA) law because the labelling of products as "almond milk" would mislead consumers. The lawsuit argued that non-dairy milk should be labelled as "imitation milk" because it is nutritionally inferior to milk and is therefore a substitute. The lawsuit was dismissed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on the basis that federal law, namely the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), contains "a broad pre-emption provision, which prohibits a state from directly or indirectly establishing food labelling requirements not identical to federal requirements." The appellate court stated that "almond milk is not a 'substitute' for dairy milk…because almond milk does not involve literally substituting inferior ingredients for those in dairy milk." The lawsuit failed, therefore, because it tried to impose these requirements which were not identical to, or required by, federal law.

A comparison can be drawn between the US and Europe in how dairy and non-dairy products are labelled. The Dairy Pride Act was introduced in 2017 by two US senators and aimed to prohibit non-dairy brands using terms that are traditionally associated with dairy products. However, the bill failed to pass and any progress on re-introduction has been stalled due to COVID-19. In Europe, however, vegan and vegetarian producers have been prevented from labelling their products as "milk" etc. by an EU law enacted in 2013 which states that products using the terms "milk", "butter", "cream cheese" and "yogurt" can only be designated as such if they are derived from animal milk. This was affirmed in 2017 in a ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The case involved a German food producer, TofuTown, which sells plant-based alternatives labelled as butter and cheese etc. TofuTown argued that consumers were not misled by its products because its labels clearly stated that such products were plant-based and that they had not violated EU legislation. The ECJ concluded that "the addition of descriptive or clarifying additions indicating the plant origin of the product concerned, such as those used by TofuTown, has no influence on that prohibition." It is interesting to note that coconut milk, peanut butter, almond milk and almond ice cream are all exempt from the EU Regulation.

With the continued growth of the market, and with more attention being drawn to the environmental impacts of a conventional diet, it is anticipated that there will be more legal disputes between the dairy and non-dairy sectors.


WRITTEN BY:



15/08/2020

European Parliament: MEP’s Questions & Answers: Aloe Vera

 


 


• 15 July 2020 - Günther Sidl – [P-004203/2020] - Subject: Amendment to Annex III of Regulation (EC) No. 1925/2006

 

Aloe Barbadensis Miller (Aloe Vera) has a long history as a herbal remedy, and there are numerous references in the literature documenting its use for over 3 500 years. In connection with food and food supplements, I support the precautionary approach that any risks to human health must be fully taken into account when assessing safety. Hydroxyanthracene derivatives (HAD) are found not only in Aloe Vera products, but also in normal vegetables such as beans, coleslaw or peas.

 

It is not clear from the proposed amendment whether Aloe Vera products are to be banned in principle or only those products that are obtained from the unpeeled leaves of Aloe Arborescens and contain Anthranoids classified as harmful to health.

 

1. Does the proposed change ensure that preparations and products made from Anthranoid-free gel or the inner pulp of the leaves of some types of Aloe (mostly Aloe Barbadensis or Aloe Vera) can continue to be used in foods, as food additives and in cosmetics?

 

2. Some impurities are technically unavoidable and manufacturers can demonstrate that everything has been done to avoid them. Have any limit values ​​been set for such impurities which may not be exceeded?

 

Answer given by Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission (13 August 2020):

 

«The European Food Safety Authority concluded in its scientific opinion[1] that certain hydroxyanthracene derivatives (HAD), namely aloe-emodin, emodin and danthron, and plant preparations containing them, are genotoxic and cause cancer in the intestine. In line with this safety assessment, the Commission proposes to prohibit the use of these harmful substances in foods including food supplements, and the scope of this prohibition is not intended to cover their use for technological purposes as food additives, or in cosmetic products.

 

The Commission is aware that it is possible during manufacturing to remove HAD from the botanical extracts, but that impurities of these substances may be present. In this context, the Commission has asked the EU Reference Laboratory on mycotoxins and plant toxins for assistance in establishing a validated analytical method and its limit of quantification for HADs in botanical preparations of Aloe species.».

 

 

 




[1] EFSA Journal 2018;16(1):5090.

 


13/08/2020

USA - Are Your Claims Too Vanilla? Emerging Litigation Trend Concerning Vanilla Content

 



A series of cases concerning alleged misrepresentations of vanilla content in products have been filed against retailers and food brands. Notable challenges have largely focused on allegations of misleading representations that a product is flavored only with vanilla beans, when in fact the product is flavored with ingredients other than vanilla.

For instance, Pacific Foods of Oregon, a subsidiary of Campbell Soup Company, is facing allegations of misleading consumers regarding its vanilla hemp milk, in a proposed class action in a New York federal court. Product packaging features a photo of vanilla bean pods, and the flavor is listed as “vanilla.” The lawsuit alleges that consumers are misled in that the product actually contains artificial flavors that imitate vanilla but are not derived from vanilla beans. The lawsuit further alleges that these artificial flavors are disclosed in neither the front label description nor the ingredient list.

Unilever is similarly facing allegations of misleading consumers with respect to the vanilla content of Breyers Natural Vanilla Ice Cream, which is labeled as “Natural Vanilla,” and for which images on product packaging include vanilla beans, vanilla flowers, and ice cream with vanilla bean specks. A California federal judge has denied Unilever’s motion to dismiss in this case, as laboratory testing showed that the flavor is primarily derived from substances other than the vanilla plant.

While these cases are ongoing, a New York federal judge has thrown out claims that Wegmans Food Markets’ vanilla ice cream is falsely labeled, as evidence presented by a proposed class expert was insufficient to prove that there was not vanilla in the products. The judge noted that testing for the presence of specific chemical markers was needed, and further expressed skepticism regarding whether the product labeling was deceptive, as neither the label nor the ingredients list stated that the ice cream uses vanilla bean or vanilla extract.

Why it matters:

According to Truth in Advertising (TINA.org), a nonprofit industry watchdog, there have been nearly 80 class actions to date challenging claims that a variety of foods and beverages are truly vanilla. The cases involve ice cream; plant-based beverages; other types of beverages, including tea, milk, soda, protein drinks and energy drinks; and foods other than ice cream, including cookies, cereals, granola, cake mixes, caramel syrup and yogurts. Marketers should ensure that they have adequate substantiation for vanilla-flavoring claims and that product packaging is not misleading. Stay tuned for updates on this litigation trend.

by Alexa SinghJeffrey Edelstein |  Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP