Private enforcement: Litigation as a tool to prevent obesity

Journal of Public Health Policy

Volumn 25, Issue 3-4, 2004, Pages 408-417

  Daynard, Richard A ^a   Howard, P Tim ^a   Wilking, Cara L ^a  

^a NONE

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

GOVERNMENT; HEALTH CARE POLICY; HEALTH PROGRAM; LAW; LAW ENFORCEMENT; LAW SUIT; LEGAL ASPECT; MARKETING; OBESITY; POLITICS; PREVENTIVE MEDICINE; PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE; RESPONSIBILITY; REVIEW; SMOKING CESSATION; UNITED STATES;

ADOLESCENT; ADULT; CHILD; CHILD, PRESCHOOL; CONSUMER ADVOCACY; FOOD INDUSTRY; HUMANS; JURISPRUDENCE; LIABILITY, LEGAL; OBESITY; POLITICS; PUBLIC HEALTH; SOCIAL MARKETING; SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY; UNITED STATES;

EID: 10944245830     PISSN: 01975897     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1057/palgrave.jphp.3190039     Document Type: Review

References (25)

1. Grimes W. Supersize, We Knew Thee Too Well. The New York Times. 2004 March 7;Sect. 4: (col. 2).
2. Barboza D. Kraft Plans to Rethink Some Products to Fight Obesity. The New York Times. 2003 July 2;Sect. C:6.
3. Coca-Cola, Co. [homepage on the Internet]. New York: Coca-Cola, Co.; c2003 [updated 2004 May 24; cited 2004 May 26]. Press Release, Coca-Cola Company: Coca-Cola Unveils U.S. Launch Plans for its New Lower-Garb, Lower-Cal Cola, Coca-Cola C2. Available from: http://www2.coca-cola.com/presscenter/ nr_20040524_americas_c2_launch.html
4. Unfair methods of competition unlawful; prevention by Commission, 15 U.S.C.A. Sect. 45(a)(2) (2004).
5. The Supreme Court of Iowa has ruled that the state's consumer frauds statute, Iowa Code Sect. 714.16, does not create a private right of action. See: Molo Oil Co. v. River City Ford Truck Sales, 578 N.W.2d 222, 228 (Iowa 1998).
6. For an exhaustive discussion of the different intent and reliance standards under state consumer protection statutes see: National Consumer Law Center. Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices. 5th ed. Boston: NCLC; 2001. p. 42.4.
7. Actions for Relief; Prosecutors, West's Ann.Cal.Bus. & Prof.Code Sect. 17204 (2004). The code allows actions for relief pursuant to the state's consumer protection act "by any person acting for the interests of itself, its members or the general public."
8. Comm. on Children's Television, Inc. v. General Foods Corp., 673 P.2d 660 (Cal. 1983).
9. Ibid, at 665.
10. Ibid, at 674.
11. Liability Of Commercial Product Seller Or Distributor For Harm Caused By Misrepresentation, Restatement (Third) of Torts Sect. 9 (1998). Also: Liability Of Commercial Seller Or Distributor For Harm Caused By Defective Products, Restatement (Third) of Torts Sect, 1 (1998).
12. Liability Of Commercial Product Seller Or Distributor For Harm Caused By Misrepresentation, Restatement (Third) of Torts Sect. 9 (1998). Also: Liability Of Commercial Seller Or Distributor For Harm Caused By Defective Products, Restatement (Third) of Torts Sect, 1 (1998).
13. For example, a Federal District Court recently referred to McDonald's Chicken McNuggets as "McFrankenstein" creations because they include such ingredients as TBHQ and dimethylpolysiloxane. See Pelman v. McDonald's Corp., 237 F.Supp.2d 512, 535 (S.D.N.Y. 2003).
14. Misbranded Food, 21 U.S.C. Sect. 343(a)(5)(A)(i) (2004). While some restaurants in the United States have voluntarily chosen to make nutritional information available to consumers, food served for immediate consumption in restaurants is not subject to federal nutritional labeling requirements.
15. Bray GA, Nielsen SJ, Popkin BM. Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. Am. J. Clin Nutr. 2004 April;79:537-543.
16. Nestle, M. Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. Berkeley: University of California Press; 2002.
17. James J, Thomas P, Cavan D, Kerr D. Preventing Childhood Obesity by Reducing Consumption of Carbonated Drinks: Cluster randomized controlled trial. BMJ. 2004 May 22;328(7450):1237.
18. Pelman v. McDonald's Corp., 237 F.Supp.2d 512 (S.D.N.Y. 2003) (dismissing complaint in its entirety and granting leave to amend); Pelman ex rel. Pelman v. McDonald's Corp., 2003 WL 22052778 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 3, 2003) (dismissing amended complaint with prejudice).
19. Pelman v. McDonald's Corp., 237 F.Supp.2d 512 (S.D.N.Y. 2003) (dismissing complaint in its entirety and granting leave to amend); Pelman ex rel. Pelman v. McDonald's Corp., 2003 WL 22052778 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 3, 2003) (dismissing amended complaint with prejudice).
20. Pelman, 237 F.Supp.2d at 538-539.
21. Nestle M. Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. Berkeley: University of California Press; 2002.
22. Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act, H.R. 339, 108th Cong., 2nd Sess. (2004).
23. Tort reform bills focused on obesity-related claims have been introduced in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. See: Obesity Policy Report [homepage on the Internet]. Washington, DC: OPR; c2004 [cited 2004 July 14]. State Legislation Tracker [several pages]. Available from: www.obesitypolicy.com
24. Limitation of liability for damages from long-term consumption of food and nonalcoholic beverages, LSA.-R.S. 9:2799.6 (2004). The statute prohibits lawsuits "for personal injury or wrongful death based on an individual's consumption of food or nonalcoholic beverages in cases where liability is premised upon the individual's weight gain, obesity, or a health condition related to weight gain or obesity and resulting from his long-term consumption of a food or nonalcoholic beverage."
25. WIS S.B. 289, 2003 Leg., 96th Sess. (vetoed by Gov. Jim Doyle on March 17, 2004).