Court Passes on Chance to Require Milk Warnings for Lactose Intolerant Like common food allergies, lactose intolerance is generally known and does not warrant a warning label on milk cartons, a federal appeals court has ruled. "A bout of indigestion does not justify a race to the courthouse," the unanimous three-judge panel said. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said that if people could sue over such obvious food risks, food manufacturers, restaurants and convenience stores would face millions of lawsuits every day. Ten District of Columbia residents filed suit in October 2005 to force grocery stores and other retailers to stop selling dairy products until they carried warning labels about lactose intolerance. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed the suit in August 2006. The court determined that federal labeling regulations preempted the proposed warnings, no public safety concerns were at issue and sellers had no duty to warn about lactose in milk. On appeal the D.C. Circuit confirmed that a manufacturer or seller does not have to provide warnings when product ingredients and the risks associated with them are well-known or obvious to consumers....
SC Monks to End Egg Farm After Criticism A monastery will halt its egg farming business after claims by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that the trappist monks mistreated hens. Father Stan Gumula of Mepkin Abbey said in a statement late Wednesday that pressure from PETA has made it difficult for the monks to live a quiet life of prayer, work and sacred reading. He said the monks were sad to give up "a hard and honorable work of which they are proud." The monks admitted no wrongdoing in the statement, and a spokeswoman declined to elaborate. The egg farm business will be phased out over the next 18 months, according to the statement. "We will be looking for a new industry to help us meet our daily expenses," the abbot said. Gumula told the National Catholic Reporter that the abbey produces about 9 million eggs a year, and that the product is delivered to retailers in the Charleston area. The abbey also has a store that sells the eggs. PETA began its criticism of Mepkin Abbey in February, saying it had undercover video of thousands of hens crammed into small cages. The group also said the abbey's suppliers cut off the hens' beaks and killed off males....