wesson cooking oil is a brand of vegetable oil manufactured in memphis , tennessee and sold by conagra foods .

historically , wesson was cottonseed oil , but as of 2009 the products currently sold under the wesson brand are oil mixtures that may include canola oil , corn oil , soybean oil or sunflower oil .

wesson was originally a trademark of the southern oil company , named after david wesson ( 1861 – 1934 ) , a food chemist at the firm who , in 1899 developed a novel process for deodorizing cottonseed oil , producing the first commercial all-vegetable shortenings from cottonseeds .

this new product was marketed as snowdrift .

in the 1920s , the vegetable oil division was spun off as the wesson oil & snowdrift company .

in 1960 , this firm merged with hunt 's foods , inc. to become hunt-wesson foods , later merged with norton simon and later merged with beatrice foods .

the brand was sold to conagra foods along with many other former beatrice brands in 1990 .

the longtime spokeswoman for wesson cooking oil was actress florence henderson , although she sang the jingle , the word " wessonality " was actually coined by a copywriter named mark itkowitz at bbdo new york in 1976 .

his initial concept was to use the sam cooke version of the song " personality " .

it was jim jordan , who was bbdo 's creative director who suggested using the version by johnny mercer as the basis for the campaign .

florence henderson would appear in television commercials for wesson from 1976 until 1996 .

wesson cooking oil

wesson cooking oil <EOT> wesson cooking oil is a brand of vegetable oil sold by conagra foods . the products currently sold under the wesson brand are canola oil , corn oil , sunflower oil and a soy - based vegetable oil , as well as mixes of different oils .

a great , versatile all - purpose oil - pure wesson oil is the perfect all - purpose cooking and baking vegetable oil . wesson vegetable oil can be used for baking or frying and has a light taste that lets your cooking flavors shine through .

oils with high omega - 3 content ( i . e . : hempseed oil , flax oil , walnut oil ) are unsuitable for cooking .

) said on tuesday it would sell its wesson cooking oil brand to folgers coffee maker j . m . smucker co (

conagra planning to sell wesson oil to j . m . smucker for $ 285 million

wow i didn’t know that about canola oil ! if you don’t recommend cooking with canola oil , what alternative oil would you suggest ? seems like olive oil for sauteing isn’t necessarily the best idea b / c of its low smokepoint . maybe peanut oil ?

naz banaspati & cooking oil tv commercial directed by mohsin rizvee , produced by the film company .

during the closing credits , which mimic the television series , florence henderson ( playing the grandmother ) is seen with a bottle of wesson cooking oil . in the 1980s , henderson did commercials for wesson .

— may refer to , among other things : * wesson , mississippi , a town in copiah county * wesson , arkansas , a township in union county , arkansas * wesson cooking oil , a brand now owned by conagra foods , inc . * uss wesson ( de 184 ) , a united states navy… …

pyrex glass and wesson oil have the same index of refraction . thus , a small test tube filled with oil set into a larger container of oil will " disappear " . download video stream video

conagra planning to sell wesson oil to j . m . smucker for $ 285 million | money | urltoken

the u . s . supreme court has been asked by conagra to review a lawsuit over gmo vegetable cooking oil .

sorry to double comment , but i have questions . which oil do you recommend for a general purpose cooking oil ? right now i’m using grapeseed oil ( non - organic i’m pretty sure , from costco ) . i used extra virgin olive oil for years until i learned that high heat cooking with it is a bad idea . it sounds like from your list that coconut oil is the best option , but what about when you don’t want the coconut flavor in your cooking ? does refined coconut oil offer any of the good properties found in virgin coconut oil ?

still , wesson has a colorful history in business , science and advertising , the brand being more than 100 years old . “wesson” was david wesson , a chemist who in 1899 developed a way to refine cottonseed oil so it didn’t taste bad or smell up the kitchen , making it more attractive for cooking .

the two lawsuits , one filed in los angeles and the other in brooklyn , seek millions of dollars ' worth of refunds for consumers who bought products in conagra ' s wesson range of cooking oils , as well as a court order preventing the company from labeling the oils as natural . the oils concerned include wesson - brand corn oil , canola oil , best blend and vegetable oil .

the suit seeks to certify a class of new york purchasers of wesson’s canola oil , vegetable oil , corn oil , and best blend products , asking for a halt to use of the allegedly deceptive claims as well as compensatory and punitive damages .

august 2014 : a federal judge denied the plaintiffs’ motion for class certification in a class - action lawsuit against conagra foods , inc . the complaint , which was originally filed in 2011 , alleges that conagra misleadingly labeled its wesson brand cooking oils – including wesson vegetable oil , wesson canola oil , wesson corn oil , and wesson best blend – as “100 % natural” when , in fact , wesson oils are made from unnatural , genetically - modified organisms . the class certification was denied without prejudice , meaning , the plaintiffs may refile . ( in re : conagra foods , inc . , case no . 11 - cv - 05379 , c . d . ca . ) .

conagra , based in omaha for 94 years until 2016 , said tuesday that it will sell wesson oil for $ 285 million to j . m . smucker , the ohio - based maker of crisco cooking oil , jif peanut butter and its namesake jams and jellies .

the longtime spokeswoman for wesson cooking oil was actress florence henderson , who coined the term " wessonality " ( frequently sung in a jingle to the tune of johnny mercer ' s " personality " ) in her advertisements . she would appear in television commercials for wesson from 1976 until 1996 .

. thus , a small test tube filled with oil set into a larger container of oil will " disappear " . [

wesson oil , dresser of salads and fryer of chickens for generations , is the latest part of the business to be pruned from conagra brands .

conagra foods is facing two class action lawsuits that claim the marketing of its wesson cooking oils as “100 % natural” and " pure " is misleading because the oil is extracted from plants that have been genetically modified ( gm ) .

no one at wesson oils responded to a call for comment prior to publication .

if people identify any product with henderson , it has to be wesson cooking oil . for more than two decades , the actress couldn ' t get enough of the cooking aid . through song , she would tell us exactly what " wessonality " really meant . ( it meant crispier chicken , in case you ' re wondering ! )

i used wesson oil for years and had no idea they had chimerically altered the genes in the plants that they derive it from . now , however , my eyes are opened to their sneaky ways and i will never use wesson again .

wesson was originally a trademark of the southern oil company , named after david wesson ( 1861–1934 ) , a food chemist at the firm who , in 1899 developed a novel process for deodorizing cottonseed oil , producing the first commercial all - vegetable shortenings from cottonseeds . this new product was marketed as snowdrift . in the 1920s , the vegetable oil division was spun off as the wesson oil & snowdrift company . this firm merged with hunt ' s foods , inc . to become hunt - wesson foods , which was later absorbed by beatrice foods . the brand was sold to conagra along with many other former beatrice brands in 1990 .

conagra had claimed there was no way to reliably determine which consumers had bought its wesson brands of cooking oils , and so there was no “administratively feasible way” to identify class members .

christine & rob — i would suggest coconut oil ( i use it often in stir - fries ; it does not impart a coconut flavor ! ) , peanut oil or an olive oil that is not extra virgin .

in the ’80s , henderson parlayed her years of being seen as the trusted carol brady in reruns into a career as a tv cook . for eight years , she hosted a southern - style cooking show on the nashville network called country kitchen . ( henderson was actually born in indiana , but who cares ? ) the show led to a bestselling cookbook called florence henderson’s short cut cooking and a lengthy gig as the tv spokesperson for wesson cooking oil .

conagra said tuesday that it will continue to manufacture wesson oils and “provide certain other transition services for up to one year following the close of the transaction . ” wesson products are produced in memphis , tennessee . j . m . smucker said in a statement tuesday that wesson production will move to an existing oil production plant in cincinnati after the transition .

wesson vegetable cooking oil commercial from 1970 ' s urltoken has hundreds of vintage tv commercials from the 1940 ' s 1950 ' s 1960 ' s and 1970 ' s . these old classic commercials are from the golden age of television and should be preserved for all time .

just wanted to let you know your link for the international olive oil council stamp of approval is the same as the california olive oil council . great website !

conagra foods’ main office in omaha , neb . the company has appealed to the u . s . supreme court a lower court’s designation of a lawsuit over cooking oil labels as a class action .

conagra will continue to manufacture products sold under the wesson brand for up to one year following the close , after which wesson will be merged into j . m . smucker’s oils manufacturing facility in cincinnati , ohio .

conagra now wants the u . s . supreme court to reverse the class action designation because there’s no way to “efficiently and reliably identify” the millions of people who’ve bought wesson oil over the past decade .

saint julia child was right all along . the only oils she endorsed were peanut oil for high - heat stove - top cooking , olive oil for everything else , except when real unsalted butter is needed for the delicious richness it brings . nothing else will do but those three choices . simple , really .

the wesson brand , whose product offerings include vegetable , canola , corn and blended oils , would bolster smucker’s own crisco oil brand , j . m . smucker chief executive mark smucker said in a statement .

at the time , wesson was a household brand name . tv’s carol brady , florence henderson , pitched it for years , singing about the oil’s “wessonality” that made fried chicken “crispy as crispy can be . ”

good report on cooking with oil . we have 20 times more omega - 6 than we need and causes major health problems such as heart disease . fix is to increase omega - 3 and decrease omega - 6 .

4 . tread carefully with canola oil . the seed from which it is extracted — rapeseed — receives heavy pesticide treatment and , unless labeled ‘organic’ , it is very likely genetically modified . additionally , most canola oil is refined and undergoes a significant amount of high - heat processing , which worries me since its fatty acids are rather fragile . the occasional tablespoon of canola oil in a baking recipe that serves 12 is no cause for concern , but i do not recommend it as a staple cooking oil .

at 65 , with high cholesterol and blood pressure ( if i don’t exercise regularly ) , and a father who died of a stroke at an early age , i want just one nutritious / high heat oil i can use in cooking and salads . looking at your chart , it would seem that tea seed , avocado , and apricot kernel might fill the bill . but , tea seed oil is very expensive , and the only avocado oil i can find is refined through cold press . which oil would you choose ?

conagra foods is facing two class action lawsuits that claim the marketing of its wesson cooking oils as " 100 % natural " and " pure " is misleading because the oil is extracted from plants that have been genetically modified ( gm ) . the two lawsuits , one filed in los angeles and the other in brooklyn , seek millions of dollars ' worth of refunds for consumers who bought products in conagra ' s wesson range of cooking oils , as well as a court order preventing the company from labeling the oils as natural . the oils concerned include wesson - brand corn oil , canola oil , bast blend and vegetable oil . according to the complaint , labeling the oils " 100 % natural " is misleading because gm plants are " unnatural " , as defined by the world health organization ( who ) . the who says : " genetically modified organisms ( gmos ) can be defined as organisms in which the genetic material ( dna ) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally . " conagra does not explicitly state that its wesson - brand cooking oils are derived from genetically modified plants . however , the complaints point to a section on the conagra corporate website regarding biotechnology , which they claim implies that the oils are extracted from gm crops .

' s " personality " ) in her advertisements . she would appear in television commercials for wesson from 1976 until 1996 .

wesson will generate about $ 30 million in earnings a year , j . m . smucker said , before the deduction of certain accounting items . the deal , which is subject to regulatory approval , unites under the smucker umbrella the top two u . s . cooking oils , crisco and wesson , according to data provided to the world - herald by consumer - products researcher euromonitor .

so my husband and i were wondering the best oil for seasoning cast iron . will unrefined coconut do ?

great info as always . a few comments / questions . 1 ) olive oil in opaque bottles another alternative to tins ( though my fave comes in a tin ) . 2 ) macadamia nut oil another good one ( love coconut oil ) . canola , what do you think of organic , expellar ( sp ) pressed ?

earlier this year , the 9th u . s . circuit court of appeals allowed a lawsuit against the conagra food processing company to proceed as a class action , which means numerous consumers who bought its wesson vegetable oil can join in the litigation .

6 . light and air can quickly deteriorate oils’ healthful properties , particularly olive oil ( which contains a high level of antioxidants ) . leaving an opened bottle of olive oil on a counter for just a few minutes can have a detrimental effect on its antioxidant content . to minimize uv light damage , purchase olive oil in tin cans whenever possible .

— pam is a cooking spray currently owned and distributed by conagra . its main ingredient is canola oil , a fat . pam was introduced in 1961 by leon rubin who , with arthur meyerhoff , started gibraltar industries to market the spray . the name pam is an …

obviously , those are the worst possible choice for olive oil , since they are constantly exposed to both light and air .

to make sure you’re getting real olive oil , i suggest one of the following : purchase from these producers certified by the california olive oil council , look for this international olive oil council stamp of approval , or at the very least look for this protected destination of origin symbol ( which i learned about from my friend robyn webb ) , which guarantees that the olive oil you are buying was produced , processed , and bottled in the same estate ( thereby eliminating the possibility of shady tampering ) .

no . 2 market share notwithstanding , the cooking oil unit at conagra is among others deemed to no longer fit in the past year or so . what the ones let go have in common is that they don’t carry a retail name brand or make groceries that are differentiated in the minds of shoppers .

several consumers can proceed with a lawsuit alleging they were deceived by vegetable oil labeled as “100 percent natural” despite containing genetically engineered ingredients .

conagra foods picked up the wesson brand in 1990 when it acquired the beatrice co . ( which had its roots in a dairy business in beatrice , nebraska ) and its subsidiary , hunt - wesson , for $ 1 . 34 billion from leveraged buyout firm kohlberg kravis roberts & co . it was conagra’s largest acquisition to that date .

8 . i reported on this over three years ago , but find that it continues to be worth repeating : a lot of commercial olive oil is not 100 % olive oil ( read this article from the new yorker for all the details ) . this , of course , has huge implications from a health standpoint since these oils don’t provide the same heart - healthy fatty acid profile and antioxidant content of real olive oil .

a legal dispute over labeling vegetable oil as “natural” even though it contains genetically engineered ingredients could have repercussions for other food - related class action lawsuits .

conagra , gma and other business groups believe the nation’s highest court should review the gmo vegetable oil case due to a “circuit split” among federal appellate courts .

wesson , too , had been identified as on the outside looking in . as long ago as 2006 — long before new york activist investor jana partners began amassing a stake in 2015 and demanding higher share prices — conagra foods , as the company was known until this year , said wesson was one of its low - priority brands and would be passed over for internal investment .

the sale of wesson oils follows that of other parts of conagra brands . the company is reshaping itself from a seller of low - margin staples into a purveyor of higher - profit supermarket comestibles .

the new york times , may 23 , 1934 * david wesson death * cottonseed oil pioneer * all - vegetable shortenings the top of page 19 has a one column heading : " david wesson , 73 , inventor , is dead " with subheads . ( see ) first report coverage on the death of david wesson , food chemist who developed the novel process for deodorizing cottonseed oil for commercial use . i suspect this is one of the few publications to report this particular event as other titles in our inventory do not . other news , sports and advertisements of the day . complete in 40 pages , this is the rare rag edition that was produced on very high quality newsprint , with a high percentage of cotton & linen content , allowing the issues to remain very white & sturdy into the present . given the subscription cost , libraries & institutions rather than individuals were the primary subscribers of these high - quality editions . nice condition .

the complaint alleges that conagra deceived consumers with labels claiming the oil was “100 % natural” despite being derived from genetically modified organisms , or gmos , which aren’t considered natural .

over the past few weeks , i have received an increasing number of questions about cooking oils . given the apparent confusion and misinformation out there , i’ve constructed this list of facts , fyis , and tidbits i consider absolutely crucial .

state ( which , in most cases , isn’t available for purchase ) . keep in mind , too , that in an unrefined state , these oils can withstand much lower cooking temperatures , and should also ideally be stored in the refrigerator .

in recent consumer class action news , two complaints were filed against conagra foods alleging that the company deceptively marketed its cooking oils as “100 % natural , ” while kellogg’s settled a suit over false advertising of its rice krispies and cocoa krispies cereals .

conagra made several other arguments against class certification , arguing that most consumers didn’t rely on the 100 percent natural claim to buy wesson vegetable oils and that they didn’t expect “natural” to mean the produce was free of genetically engineered ingredients .

plaintiffs in california and new york filed suit against conagra just days apart , making identical allegations that the company is deceiving consumers by claiming its four types of cooking oils are “100 % natural” even though the oils are made from genetically modified plants or organisms .

wesson is the first retail brand that consumers actually see at the grocery store that conagra has sold under connolly’s leadership , while it has acquired several . analysts have expected the company to begin pruning its brand lineup as it refocuses the company .

in terms of canola — organic and expeller - pressed still does not convince me because , for an oil so high in omega 3s , it is exposed to quite a bit of heat during that process .

a class action lawsuit has been filed against conagra foods regarding the company ' s use of the term " all - natural " in the packaging and advertising for its wesson line of cooking oils . the suit , which is being handled by milberg llp , alleges that conagra ' s inclusion of genetically modified corn and soy in the oils disqualifies their labeling as " all - natural . " the plaintiffs cite accepted definitions of genetic modification - - including one by leading gmo booster monsanto - - that specifically stipulate the unnaturalness of the process .

“we continue to reshape our portfolio and focus our resources on priorities that support conagra’s business strategy and drive value creation for shareholders , ” said sean connolly , conagra chief executive . “we believe the j . m . smucker co . will be a terrific steward of the wesson brand . ”

“the reasonable consumer assumes that seeds created by exchanging genetic material between different species to exhibit traits not naturally theirs are not ‘100 % natural , ’” according to the complaint . conagra also marketed its oils to “evoke wholesomeness and health , ” using the image of the sun around the wesson name , the plaintiff alleged .

3 . make amends with coconut oil . it has been unfairly vilified for decades by government guidelines and federal health organizations , but there are significant amounts of clinical research which shows that its main fatty acid – = - lauric acid — helps maintain healthful cholesterol levels . try it in savory recipes ( like chili ) or use it to make stovetop popcorn at home . since coconut oil has a very high smoke point , its fatty acids can withstand high degrees of heat without oxidizing ( once a fat oxidizes , its healthful benefits are gone ) .

for general purpose cooking , i recommend peanut , olive ( just not extra virgin ) or unrefined coconut ( it really does not impart a coconutty flavor to foods ; i use it for stir - fries and savory chilies all the time ) . grapeseed is fine , too ( it is not my “go - to” , but you could certainly do worse ) .

sales of some varieties of vegetable oils have fallen in recent years . supermarkets have expanded their competing private - label offerings ; other oils , like olive and coconut , have surged in popularity ; and consumers have turned to other fats like butter and lard for cooking . conagra , meanwhile , has put its marketing dollars behind the pam brand of sprayable oils , adding olive and coconut oils to the lineup .

the sale of wesson follows that of other parts of chicago - based conagra , which is reshaping itself from a seller of low - margin staples — such as 10 - for - $ 10 banquet frozen dinners — into a purveyor of higher - profit supermarket comestibles with fresher ingredients , such as jarred salsas , all - natural and organic pot pies and adobo chicken and cuban pork steamed entrées .

lovely piece . the suggetsions about how to use coconut oil are appreiciated– i have a container in the fridge but no particular ideas for use other than baked goods and coconut rice . i also especially like the note at the end encouraging use of whole foods as the primary source of fats in the diet . any excuse to eat more olives !

the deodorizing and bleaching processes are particularly worrisome as they expose these oils to temperatures well past their respective smoke points , thereby increasing the likelihood of their fatty acids undergoing oxidation and turning into harmful compounds . although the deodorizing treatment does add antioxidants , these are not always the same ones originally found in the oil . anti - foaming agents , meanwhile , are silicone - based compounds ( one of the most common anti - foamers , polydimethysiloxane , is the main ingredient in silly putty ) .

for those wondering about what to fat / oil cook with – why isn’t anyone thinking of beef tallow , lard , and duck / goose fat ( ghee , too ) ? these are traditional dietary fats with great smoke points , and they are very slow to become rancid compared to oils . these important fats have a long , long history in cuisines that nourished humans all over the world , plus they taste great with wide variety of baked , roasted , and sauteed foods . * these * are the fats your great - grandmothers saved and prized . she never reached into her cool root cellar for bottles of hipster oils like flax & hemp , lol . get real .

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the vacuity of the term " all - natural " is quickly becoming one of the food world ' s dirtiest open secrets . it took a thrashing a few weeks ago , when news of the oj industry ' s frankenjuice recipe for " 100 % all - natural orange juice " got serious play . it ' s becoming clear that a food marked " natural " is at least as likely as any other to be artificially processed . indeed , the food marketing institute flatly states that , " the term ' natural ' is not regulated except for meat and poultry . "

but if the suit finds conclusively in favor of the plaintiffs , the term ' s days as an unregulated catch - all for semi - processed foods could be numbered .

first - person essays , features , interviews and q & as ; about life today .

pure oils , with zero grams trans fat per serving , no chemicals , no preservatives , no coloring agents—and naturally cholesterol - free .

the deal marks another step by chicago - based conagra , which has been divesting many of its private label and condiment businesses to become a branded foods - only company .

the maker of chef boyardee pasta and orville redenbacher’s popcorn also said in december that the company will be 91 percent branded after it spun - off its lamb weston unit .

conagra reported a better - than - expected third - quarter profit in march , as it discontinued sales of lower - margin products and cut back on discounts .

j . m . smucker said it expects the deal to add about $ 230 million to its annual net sales . annual cost synergies are estimated to be $ 20 million within two years of the deal’s close .

j . m . smucker , which also sells jif peanut butter , expects the deal to add about 10 cents per share to its adjusted earnings in the first full - year after close .

shares of conagra were down 1 . 3 percent at $ 38 . 53 in early afternoon trading on tuesday , while j . m . smucker was down marginally at $ 127 . 92 .

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november 2017 : the district court case was stayed pending the outcome of mediation .

april 2017 : the company filed a petition for a writ of certiorari asking the u . s . supreme court to review the case .

january 2017 : the ninth circuit court of appeals affirmed the district court’s decision to certify the class .

february 2015 : in ruling on the plaintiffs’ renewed motion for class certification , which was filed in september 2014 , the court refused to certify the injunctive relief classes ( i . e . , the classes seeking changes to marketing ) because the named plaintiffs did not show that they have standing ( i . e . , a proper basis ) to represent such classes , but did certify various classes seeking monetary relief . to read the full decision and learn more about the certified classes , click here .

for more information about other class action lawsuits filed against conagra and tina . org’s coverage of the company , click here .

the class - action tracker is intended to notify consumers about false advertising class - action lawsuits filed around the country , but does not necessarily reflect tina . org’s opinion with respect to the lawsuits or disposition of the cases

the website states : " both the u . s . environmental protection agency and the fda have concluded that biotech foods that are approved for human consumption are as safe and nutritious as other foods that are developed through more conventional methods . . . ultimately , consumers will decide what is acceptable in the marketplace based on the best science and public information available . we will continue to listen carefully to our customers and consumers about biotechnology and provide alternatives for those who demand products without biotechnology ingredients . "

poll results : we need a clearer definition of natural . . . and the fda should come up with it

i am andrei rado from milberg llp , one of the attorneys that represents the plaintiff that filed this lawsuit .

if anyone has any questions about the lawsuit , post them and i will respond .

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genetically modified organisms are “‘unnatural’ by definition , ” according to the new york complaint filed by plaintiff kelly mcfadden , “engineered by the cross - breeding of seeds to allow for greater yield and resistance to pesticides . ”

“plaintiff paid for a 100 % natural product , but did not receive a product that was 100 % natural . plaintiff received a product that was genetically engineered in a laboratory , and had its genetic code artificially altered to exhibit not ‘natural’ qualities , ” according to the complaint filed in california federal court by robert briseno .

briseno’s suit seeks similar injunctive and pecuniary relief for a nationwide class of plaintiffs .

in other class action news , kellogg’s agreed to pay $ 2 . 5 million to fund a settlement for repayment to class members who alleged the company falsely advertised its rice krispies and cocoa krispies cereals as supporting the immune system even though the company lacked scientific evidence for the claims .

plaintiffs can receive $ 5 per box purchased during the relevant time period – without proof of purchase – for up to three boxes per household .

last june , kellogg’s settled with the federal trade commission over similar charges , agreeing to advertising restrictions related to health benefits about its food products . the agreement updated a july 2009 consent order relating to claims that its frosted mini - wheats cereal was “clinically shown to improve kids’ attentiveness by nearly 20 % . ”

under the expanded order , kellogg’s can no longer make claims for rice krispies that the cereal “now helps support your child’s immunity , ” and was prohibited from making claims about any health benefit of any food unless its claims were backed by scientific evidence and not misleading .

to read the settlement agreement in weeks v . kellogg co . , click here .

why it matters : both the conagra lawsuits and the kellogg’s settlement are examples of common issues in advertising class actions . health claims have received close scrutiny recently , as demonstrated by kellogg’s multiple actions with the federal trade commission . and a number of other lawsuits have been filed alleging that “natural” products are no such thing , including those against ben & jerry’s for its use of the phrase “all natural” on its ice cream and frozen yogurt packaging as well as against snapple , for labeling its drinks “all natural” when they contained high‑fructose corn syrup .

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“that left only one other possible source of information about the transactions — consumers’ memories of low - value grocery store purchases , recalled years later in hopes of a cash reward , ” conagra said in its supreme court review request .

apart from having implications for foods containing gmos , the lawsuit is seen by food manufacturers as emblematic of a broader problem with litigation over labeling .

the number of lawsuits over food labels has “ballooned” over the past decade , increasing from fewer than 20 federal class actions to more than 400 , according to the grocery manufacturers association .

“some of these lawsuits raise claims so frivolous they border on comical : do consumers really think that the name ‘froot loops’ means that the cereal is made of fruit ? are coffee drinkers really surprised to learn that iced lattes , in fact , contain some ice ? ” gma said in a court brief . “but to defendants facing the settlement pressure that comes with a certified class , the explosion of food and beverage litigation is no laughing matter . ”

although class certification doesn’t mean the plaintiffs have won the case , courts have recognized the designation tremendously increases potential financial liability — to the point where companies often decide to settle questionable cases they’d otherwise prefer to fight .

there’s no requirement for plaintiffs to reliably identify a multitude of class members in the 9th circuit , 6th circuit and 7th circuit , but such a test exists in the 2nd circuit , 3rd circuit , 4th circuit and 11th circuit , they argue .

california federal courts are particularly popular among food labeling plaintiffs , with roughly two - thirds of such class actions filed in that state .

very similar cases “sail through” class certification in some jurisdictions while they’re blocked in others , according to conagra .

food manufacturers claim this “circuit split” has undermined the uniformity of food labeling rules set by the u . s . food and drug administration that are meant to provide companies with regulatory certainty across the country .

“yet , the circuit split encourages plaintiffs to continue to deputize california federal courts as food labeling agencies on matters within the agency’s purview , ” the gma said .

the plaintiffs in the conagra case have urged the supreme court against reviewing the lawsuit , arguing that the “circuit split” isn’t severe and will likely be resolved by appellate courts on their own .

the requirements for class action status sought by conagra would effectively “place allegations of widespread consumer fraud beyond the reach of the legal system , ” the plaintiffs claim in a court brief .

identifying class members before a class is certified is premature , since the total damages owed by the company can be calculated without knowing the identity of specific people , the plaintiffs said .

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in 2015 , a federal judge in california agreed to certify the lawsuit against the conagra food company as a class action , allowing other consumers to be included in the litigation .

however , the case was put on hold while conagra challenged the class certification before the 9th u . s . circuit court of appeals .

the 9th circuit has now rejected conagra’s arguments that the case doesn’t meet the requirements for class action status , allowing the litigation to continue .

possible difficulties in locating and verifying class members aren’t enough to disqualify such cases from being class actions , according to the 9th circuit .

if such obstacles could prevent lawsuits from obtaining class action status , many similar cases would effectively be blocked from the courts because no realistic alternative exists , the ruling said .

when the potential financial compensation for each consumer is minuscule , it’s unrealistic for them to file individual lawsuits , the court held .

“class actions involving inexpensive consumer goods in particular would likely fail at the outset if administrative feasibility were a freestanding prerequisite to certification , ” the 9th circuit said .

the 9th circuit rejected these claims , ruling that a federal judge did not abuse her discretion in certifying the lawsuit as a class action .

three similar federal lawsuits over “natural” labeling for foods containing biotech ingredients were filed in the past , prompting those judges to ask the u . s . food and drug administration for guidance .

the fda responded that it doesn’t have a formal definition of “natural” and would need to seek input from the public and other agencies before developing one .

the agency did seek public comments on the issue last year , though it has yet to propose any action in the matter .

lots of sunshine . high 94f . winds sw at 5 to 10 mph . .

a clear sky . low near 70f . winds se at 5 to 10 mph .

it’s the first grocery store brand to be removed from the company’s cupboard of labels under a years - long turnaround effort initiated by its ceo that has included moving the company’s headquarters and carving off other units of the firm .

it started when conagra sold its private - label operation , the chain of plants that made staples such as soup , cookies and other packaged foods sold under supermarkets’ own brand names . bought in 2012 for $ 5 billion , the unit never lived up to the sales and profit expectations consistent with the price . it was sold in 2015 for a little more than half that , after activist investors began agitating for change at conagra and new ceo connolly had been brought in .

next were the jm swank and spicetec seasonings businesses , sold for about $ 500 million , after conagra decided that wholesaling goods such as cumin and anti - caking agents weren’t the future .

then came the big one , the spinoff of the lamb weston frozen potato business to existing shareholders as its own stand - alone company . french fry supplier to mcdonald’s and to bistros and snack bars big and small , lamb weston was nonetheless trimmed : its fiscal 2015 sales of $ 3 billion generated profit of $ 268 million , a margin of about 9 percent .

for its part , kkr had picked up beatrice five years earlier for $ 6 billion in what was at the time the largest so - called leveraged buyout in history . those transactions were a staple of the 1980s and 1990s , when financial engineers used a firm’s assets as collateral for borrowings used to acquire that same company , larding its balance sheet with new debt . kkr then split up beatrice into separate companies .

connolly said in december that he can offload brands efficiently — using the loss the company took selling its private label business to offset future capital gains taxes .

shares of conagra fell about 1 . 3 percent tuesday to $ 38 . 52 each in new york stock exchange trading .

the shares have fallen about 2 . 6 percent so far this year . the broader stock market is up about 8 percent .

based in omaha since 1922 , conagra moved last year to the merchandise mart commercial plaza in chicago . conagra has said it employs 1 , 200 office workers at its downtown omaha campus , plus about 800 in a council bluffs frozen food plant and 100 at a candied popcorn plant in lincoln .

russell . hubbard @ urltoken , 402 - 444 - 3133 ; barbara . soderlin @ urltoken , 402 - 444 - 1336

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here’s the story of a lovely lady…beloved by millions for her career - making role on the brady bunch . rip florence henderson .

in 1952 , 18 - year - old florence henderson landed one line in a broadway play called wish you were here . the theatrical giants of richard rodgers and oscar hammerstein happened to catch the play and thought she was right for another part . they gave her the lead role in a national touring company of their musical oklahoma ! she reprised the role for a broadway revival of the musical in 1954 . she followed that with more high - profile theatrical gigs , such as starring in road tours of the sound of music and south pacific , and starring on broadway in the girl who came to supper .

in the midst of a successful career as a broadway performer , it nearly all came to an end . while appearing on stage in the king and i at a theater in los angeles in 1965 , henderson suddenly went completely deaf . terrified , she sought out medical condition , and she was diagnosed with osteosclerosis . it was treatable for henderson and corrective surgery restored her full hearing in both ears .

these days when talk show hosts want a vacation , their show airs a rerun . when johnny carson hosted the tonight show , he routinely took a day off every couple of weeks at the very least . many comedians and actors got a big break subbing for carson as host of the tonight show , including jay leno , david letterman , and joan rivers . henderson did it too—the first woman ever to do so .

henderson is of course best known for portraying one of the most recognizable and beloved tv moms in history : carol brady on the brady bunch , as well as on revivals like the brady brides , the brady bunch variety hour , and the bradys . she’s heavily identified with the role , but she wasn’t producers’ first choice . the part was initially offered to another singer - actress : shirley jones . she was henderson’s best friend at the time…and who one year later would go on to star as the mother on the partridge family .

for the past 27 years , the bathroom readers ' institute has led the movement to stand up for those who sit down and read in the bathroom with the uncle john ' s bathroom reader series . our staff works to year - round to bring you the most absorbing anthologies of history , humor , origins , flops , fads , quotes , puzzles , kids ' books , and more .

boeing has a patent on a process for using the moon’s gravity to control the orbit of satellites . # brifact

fewer than 20 existing paintings have been attributed to leonardo da vinci . # brifact

one solar flare puts out the equivalent energy of a billion megatons of tnt . # brifact

people person : over the course of his career , charles dickens created over 13 , 000 characters . # brifact

retweeted portable press ( @ portablepress ) : humans who have traveled farthest from earth : the crew of apollo 13 . they flew nearly 250 , 000 miles—and 60 miles farther from earth than any other apollo mission . # brifact

humans who have traveled farthest from earth : the crew of apollo 13 . they flew nearly 250 , 000 miles—and 60 miles farther from earth than any other apollo mission . # brifact

first person known to go on a diet : william the conqueror . ( he was too fat to ride his horse . ) # brifact

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from the time the brady bunch first aired in 1969 , florence henderson has been a part of our lives . that ' s why we ' re commemorating her work on the sitcom by showcasing her best episodes this sunday , dec . 4 , at 12 pm | 11c on metv .


the sladmore gallery is a london art dealership with two premises , one at 32 bruton place off berkeley square ( held since its foundation in 1965 ) and the other established at 57 jermyn street in 2007 .

its speciality is animalier sculptors ( with the bruton place premises specialising in contemporary sculptors and jermyn street specialising in 19th - and early 20th-century sculptors ) .

its directors are edward horswell , nona horswell and gerry farrell .

the gallery has posthumously held exhibitions for auguste rodin , aristide maillol , edgar degas , rembrandt bugatti , prince paul troubetzkoy and antoine-louis barye .

living exhibitors at the london premises have included mark coreth , geoffrey dashwood , sophie dickens and nic fiddian-green .

the sladmore gallery also puts on shows and fairs in new york , maastricht , paris and london .

the sladmore gallery is a member of the british antique dealers ' association and the society of london art dealers .

the sladmore gallery

the sladmore gallery <EOT> © 2018 copyright sladmore gallery , all rights reserved . read our privacy policy here .

masterpiece london 2018 - exhibitor detail - the sladmore gallery - fine 19th , early 20th century bronze sculpture and contemporary sculpture and objects .

the sladmore gallery has its origins in a private collection of 19th - century bronze animal sculptures , assembled by jane horswell in the mid - 1960s at sladmore farm in buckinghamshire . in 1968 , the gallery moved to the three floor mews premises off berkeley square , where sladmore contemporary is still located today , in the heart of london’s gallery district . the sladmore gallery with its collection of 19th - and 20th - century sculpture is now located nearby at our recently refurbished jermyn street gallery . since 1980 , under the direction of edward horswell , the sladmore has continued to concentrate on fine 19th - and early 20th - century sculpture . an active publishing program of exhibition catalogues and monographs is also an important part of the gallery’s activities . the contemporary department , since 1994 under the direction of gerry farrell , has , in recent years , expanded and includes a select stable of sculptors and painters represented exclusively by the gallery at bruton place . recently , the addition of a private sculpture garden beside the british museum has allowed us to show a wide range of outdoor sculpture on a monumental scale .

this last phase was the best artistically , although it’s the assyrian - style lions and baboons that tend to fetch the highest prices . edward horswell , who owns the sladmore gallery in jermyn street which specialises in animal sculptures and will hold the show , tells me a “trophy” bugatti lion or baboon will go for over a million pounds now , a 10 - fold increase in value in the past decade .

the sladmore gallery started as a small , private collection and is now one of the leading galleries specialising in nineteenth and twentieth century sculpture . fine casts of barye’s work together with selective works by ‘les animaliers’ form the basis of our nineteenth century stock , whilst rodin , degas , maillol and especially bugatti make up the twentieth century . we are sharing the stand with the sladmore contemporary , with animalier sculpture by contemporary masters such as nic fiddian - green and mark coreth as well as portrait artist mario dilitz .

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in the last years of his life , the shy bugatti was possibly mooning over the wife of his more famous brother ettore , the car designer ( rembrandt did the rearing elephant mascot on the cars ) . a lot of photographs remain of rembrandt accompanying barbara and her children on excursions . still , more of the time , rembrandt was mooning over donkeys and lion cubs at antwerp zoo , then the leading zoo in europe . he lived on and off in antwerp for eight years from 1907 and visited the zoo probably daily when he was there .

there’s a little exhibition coming up next month of work by the animal sculptor rembrandt bugatti . bugatti did small maquettes of lions , fauns , hippos and pelicans , working in the early years of the 20th century . they are roughly , rather sinuously moulded , a bit like a rodin if rodin had done animals ; sometimes they are somewhat stylised , assyrian looking , and toward the end of his career he would get out a palette knife and chop up the flanks of his panthers and bears into angular shapes .

when the great war came the antwerp zoo had to kill most of its livestock , many of which bugatti had lovingly sculpted . the artist , already depressed , was so broken by this that in 1916 , he bought himself a bunch of flowers , lay down on his bed with them and gassed himself . he was 31 .

the fascinating thing about bugatti is that the history of art may be teeming with tales of artists being in love with their models – think rembrandt van rijn and saskia , think picasso and dora maar , think freud and about 25 women – but this gentle italian’s devotion to his subjects must rank among the most touching . bugatti was besotted with animals . he made his models on a scale of 18 inches or so , as most animal sculptors do , less because the thing could sit neatly on a desk and more so that he could model “live” and quickly in front of the beast of his choice .

in pictures - the story of love and romance : from adam and eve to tinder and chemsex . compiled by martin chilton

19th & early 20th century sculpture also at : sladmore contemporary , 32 bruton place , off berkeley square , london w1j 6nw . tel : 020 7499 0365 fax : 020 7409 1381 . speciality : contemporary and modern paintings & sculpture artists include : barye , bernard , bourdelle , bugatti , csaky , dalou , pompon , steinlen , maillol , degas , rodin , troubetzkoy sandoz

masterpiece ' s exhibitors span all eras and disciplines and include many of the world ' s most distinguished art dealerships . scrupulous vetting and thoughtful juxtaposition allow one to encounter beautiful works of art , have one ' s eyes opened to the unfamiliar , and buy with confidence .

the history of art may be teeming with artists in love with their models but this italian sculptor was besotted with animals , says serena davies .

one time , he became so entranced with a pair of antelopes at antwerp zoo , his favourite hangout , that he had them taken to his studio in paris so that he could do their portraits in life size . horswell calls bugatti’s sculptures “portraits” because they’re so sensitive to their individual subjects , and they are certainly sculpted with a sweet sympathy that you don’t get in the more savage pieces by the great french animal sculptor antoine louis barye .

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never marrying , disliking groups of people , there’s no doubt rembrandt preferred animals to human beings . one sad fact tells us this most clearly .