The FDA is under more pressure to regulate homeopathic products

Federal agencies don't normally tell each other how to do their jobs. But the Federal Trade Commission, which polices advertising claims, did just that last week when it asked the Food and Drug Administration to reevaluate its light-touch regulatory approach to an obscure corner of the over-the-counter drug market: homeopathic products. Read more at Bloomberg Business...

NextGen barcodes will store data and tell stories about products

But shoppers are now demanding far greater transparency about products, and store owners need more information to help with stock taking, product recalls and to fight fakes. The basic barcode is just not up to the job. That could mean a costly upheaval for retailers and brands to change packaging and invest in new systems and scanners. Read more at NBC News...

Study finds Fair Trade logo boosts consumer's willingness to pay

Products labeled with a Fair Trade logo cause prospective buyers to dig deeper into their pockets. In an experiment conducted at the University of Bonn, participants were willing to pay on average 30 percent more for ethically produced goods, compared to their conventionally produced counterparts. Read more at Phys.Org...

Lawsuit over Whole Foods baked goods deemed half-baked

Whole Foods Markets Inc and two other grocers won the dismissal of three lawsuits accusing them of deceiving shoppers into believing their bread and other baked goods were made fresh and in house, thereby inducing them to pay more. Read more at Reuters...

Driscoll's pledges to go organic

This summer, the largest organic strawberry grower in the country has pledged to grow all of its baby plants organically. Strawberry seedlings—even organic ones —can be cultivated in soil that's been chemically fumigated. Read more at Capital Public Radio...