Press Releases
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) has sued Happy Egg Co. for false, deceptive and misleading advertising claims related to the use of the term “pasture raised.”
“Surveys confirm that animal welfare practices rank high on the list of consumer concerns,” said Ronnie Cummins, OCA’s co-founder and director. “By falsely claiming that the eggs it sells are ‘pasture raised,’ Happy Egg deceives consumers and diverts consumers’ spending dollars from competitors whose eggs come from farms that meet a true pasture-raised standard. Consumers who purchase Happy Eggs believing that they are supporting a certain animal-welfare standard are being cheated.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Attorneys for Organic Consumers Association (OCA) filed a limited motion for summary judgment, with the D.C. Superior Court, in the nonprofit’s false advertising lawsuit, filed in July 2018, against Unilever-owned Ben & Jerry’s.
The motion asks the court to find that Ben & Jerry’s falsely claimed that its “Caring Dairy” animal husbandry standards were “required for all farmers” who supplied the dairy used in its products. The motion states that Ben & Jerry’s admitted that it uses milk from “conventional dairy sources” that do not adhere to “Caring Dairy” standards.
“Consumer protection laws are intended to protect consumers from advertising, marketing and packaging claims that are patently false,” said Ronnie Cummins, OCA’s international director. “This goal will be achieved only if companies like Unilever are challenged when they make false claims about their brands, and held accountable by the courts. OCA’s mission includes working on behalf of consumers to make sure our legal system defends consumer rights.”
Organic Consumers Association (OCA) today issued the following statement upon learning that Ben & Jerry’s will no longer claim on product packaging that its ice cream comes from “happy cows”:
"The removal of misleading ‘happy cow’ claims is a victory for consumers and an indication that Ben & Jerry’s can’t back up those claims,” said OCA International Director Ronnie Cummins. “But this is just one small step toward more honest representation of the Ben & Jerry’s brand. OCA will continue, through our own ongoing litigation against Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company, Unilever, to push for Ben & Jerry’s either to live up to its remaining marketing claims, or to remove all claims that have no basis in fact.”
At a public hearing today, the Maine Board of Dental Practice will hear testimony from advocacy groups and members of the public who want the board to enforce a state law that requires dentists who still use amalgam fillings to give every patient a specific fact sheet—before installing the filling. The fact sheet, written by the Maine Department of Health, makes it clear that amalgam fillings are primarily mercury, that mercury is a major pollutant and that non-toxic alternatives are available.
AUGUSTA, Maine – October 31, 2019 - Three national nonprofits have petitioned the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the Maine Board of Dental Practice for antitrust violations. According to the petition, the dental board refuses to enforce the state’s amalgam fact sheet law. As a result, some dentists who still use dental amalgam are withholding information from patients about amalgam’s mercury content.
Why Do the EPA and USDA Continue to Perpetuate the ‘9-Percent Lie?’
FINLAND, Minn. – July 23, 2019 – Ronnie Cummins, co-founder of Organic Consumers Association and Regeneration International, made this statement in response to a report issued today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicting that global warming will cause U.S. taxpayers to pay 37 percent more over the next decade to subsidize commodity crop failures:
“Instead of subsidizing commodity crops that contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, why doesn’t the USDA subsidize regenerative agriculture practices that can reverse global warming?
WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 17, 2019 - Food & Water Watch and Organic Consumers Association (OCA) sued Tyson Foods, Inc. in D.C. Superior Court under the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act, for deceptive marketing and advertising of chicken products sold under the Tyson brand and other brand names.
“Tyson’s inhumane chicken operations take a tremendous toll on the environment,” said Wenonah Hauter, Food & Water Watch executive director. “In 2014, Tyson dumped more than 20 million pounds of toxic pollutants into US waterways. From 2013 to 2015, the company was guilty of more than 300 wastewater Clean Water Act permit exceedances. Any claims of environmental responsibility are patently false.”
Nonprofit alleges Twinings’ false claims of “pure” and “100% natural ingredients” on products that contain unnatural herbicide and insecticide residues are misleading to consumers.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 9, 2019 - The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) sued Twinings North America, Inc. and its parent company, Associated British Foods PLC, for the deceptive labeling, marketing and sale of Twinings Tea of London products. The suit was filed on behalf of OCA by Richman Law Group, in D.C. Superior Court under the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act.
“No reasonable consumer who reads the words ‘pure’ and ‘100% natural ingredients,’ whether on Twinings’ packaging or in other advertising or marketing communications, such as the company’s website, would expect those products to contain residues of glyphosate, a synthetic herbicide, and unnatural insecticides,” said Ronnie Cummins, OCA co-founder and international director.
Will Harris, a fourth-generation farmer-rancher in Bluffton, Georgia, called out Impossible Burger for claims the company made today that regenerative grazing is “not sustainable at scale,” and that grassfed beef “generates more GHGs than feedlot beef.”
Harris responded to Impossible Burger’s claims with this statement:
“As an independent professional rancher, who has practiced regenerative land management on our family farm for more than 20 years, I can state unequivocally that Impossible Burger’s claims about regenerative grazing are incorrect. Not only is our business financially successful on a large scale, but we are accumulating data showing that our practices are enhancing the carbon sequestration potential of the soil on the lands we manage.”
Consumers Association (“OCA”) and Bareburger are pleased to announce Bareburger’s launch of a new initiative aimed at providing consumers with full transparency about the origin, nature and quality of the food they eat at Bareburger restaurants
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