Category: FDA
-
Efforts to Curb Antibiotic Use in Livestock Fall Short, Says GAO
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a March 2017 report noting several oversight gaps in federal agencies’ efforts to track and curtail antibiotic use in food animals. According to GAO, the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) have implemented several measures designed to reduce antibiotic resistance by increasing veterinary supervision…
-
Stakeholders Voice Opinions About Modernizing “Healthy” at FDA Meeting
Concerns about how or whether the term “healthy” should be used in food labeling and packaging prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to hold a public comment meeting on the issue on March 9, 2017. Current FDA regulations allow the use of the term “healthy,” as well as similar terms, as implied nutrient-content…
-
FDA Issues Guidance on the Use of Fruit and Vegetable Juices as Color Additives
Responding to food manufacturers’ requests, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published industry guidance to clarify when fruit and vegetable juices “may be used as color additives for foods without additional premarket review and approval from the agency under its color additive petition process.” Under current regulations, the agency provides that “the safety…
-
FDA Denies CSPI Petition for Vibrio Performance Standard in Shellfish
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has denied a February 9, 2012, petition filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) that requested “a performance standard of non-detectable as determined by the best available method of detection for Vibrio vulnificus in molluscan shellfish intended for raw or processed raw consumption.” Citing…
-
Fourth Circuit Affirms FDA’s Authority to Issue Contamination Warnings
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court’s determination that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had the discretion to issue an incorrect contamination warning about Salmonella-tainted tomatoes, which devalued a tomato farmer’s crop by $15 million. Seaside Farm v. United States, No. 15-2562 (4th Cir., order entered December 2, 2016).…
-
NOP Drafts Guidance for Calculating Percentage of Organic Ingredients
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (NOP) has proposed guidance “for calculating the percentage of organic ingredients in multi-ingredient products.” Intended for accredited certifying agents and handling operations, the draft guidance responds to a National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) request for correction and clarification of the requirements codified at 7 CFR 205.302(a), which…
-
FDA Ponders the Nature of Nutella®
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has requested public input on how consumers use “flavored nut butter spreads and products that can be used to fill cupcakes and other desserts,” as part of its effort to establish a reference amount customarily consumed (RACC) and serving size for these products. Responding to a March 4,…
-
Kind Litigation on Hold as FDA Decides “Natural” Definition
A New York federal court has stayed a proposed class action alleging Kind LLC misleads consumers by describing its products as “all natural” and free of genetically modified organisms. In re Kind, No. 15-2645 (S.D.N.Y., order entered September 15, 2016). The court noted that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested comments on the…