 Some of the biggest food and beverage companies gave a letter to Congress this week, asking them to do more to prevent marijuana-infused products that are copy-cats of their well-known brands, such as General Mills, Nabisco, and PepsiCo.
The Consumer Brands Association, made up of more than a dozen companies and trade associations with household names, sent the letter to congressional leaders this past week with their concerns. They said, “While cannabis (and incidental amounts of THC) may be legal in some states, the use of these famous marks, clearly without approval of the brand owners, on food products has created serious health and safety risks for consumers, particularly children, who cannot tell the difference between these brands’ true products and copycat THC products that leverage the brand’s fame for profit.” A potential remedy that the associations and companies are suggesting would be to revise a section of an anti-counterfeit bill that’s been attached to broader, wide-ranging manufacturing legislation that is heading to bicameral conference. The wants congress to expand a bill on counterfeiting, to penalize companies that sell these types of “famous” logos. Currently there is no bill that specifically addresses this issue. The letter said, “This change is critical because it closes a loophole in the existing language to address a critical health and safety issue... and ... We urge your support.” Concern for children is probably not really the true concern of these companies that are clearly targeting children with their own unhealthy products. But copyright infringement is certainly a valid concern. Appealing to congress for children’s safety, though, will certainly get more attention and quicker results. Comments are closed.
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