In this week's episode of The Food Biz hosts Kristyn Tarpey and Ryan Nelson discuss the class action lawsuits that have been happening in the food and beverage industry.

Kristyn kicks off the episode by discussing a new report released by FoodNavigator that provides insight into some of the new lawsuits coming to light in the Food and Beverage industry.  According to the report, there was a significant increase in lawsuits in 2021, compared to 2020.  Kirstyn kicks off the conversation by discussing the lawsuit against Coca Cola for their Fairlife ice cream line.  The ice cream line was initially advertised as treating its animals well and giving them humane environments - especially its dairy cows.  Video footage was released in 2019 that showed the abuse that was happening behind the scenes.  Four lawsuits were filed against Fairlife, accusing the company of consumer fraud and deceptive marketing.  These lawsuits could encourage more companies to think about animal welfare in their practices.

Ryan and Kristyn also discuss the Motif Foodworks lawsuit.  Motif is currently being sued by Impossible Foods for patent infringement.  Impossible Foods believes that Motifs beef alternative too closely imitates its own version.  Motif is denying the allegations and filed a petition with the USPTO’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board asking them to review Impossible’s patent and decide whether it should be revoked.  Impossible Foods believes the petition is just a baseless and merciless stunt to distract from the lawsuit they filed against Motif. 
Make sure to listen to the entire episode on Spotify or in the Apple Podcasts App! While you’re there, don’t forget to subscribe. Also, feel free to reach out to us by email at news@barchart.com with any discussion topics, questions, comments, or overall feedback; Ryan and Kristyn would love to hear from you.