Food & Beverage Litigation & Regulatory Update

Category: FDA

  • Federal Court Reopens and Stays Attune ECJ Case

    A California federal court has granted plaintiffs’ motion to vacate the judgment and reopened a proposed class action against Attune Foods Inc., finding that the delay in guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on whether “sugar” is the “common or usual name” for “evaporated cane juice” (ECJ), an ingredient that appears on…

  • FDA Extends Deadline for Comments on Expanding the Redbook

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended the deadline for public comments about whether to expand the products included in its guidance titled “Toxicological Principles for the Safety Assessment of Food Ingredients”—also known as the “Redbook.” The agency is apparently considering this expansion “to include chemical safety assessments for all products over which…

  • FDA Extends Closing Date for Food Advisory Committee Nominations

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended until February 27, 2015, the deadline for submitting materials related to (i) nominations for a non-voting industry representative to serve on the Food Advisory Committee and (ii) statements from organizations interested in participating in the selection process for the non-voting committee member. The Food Advisory Committee evaluates…

  • U.S. Foodborne Illness Source Attribution Focus of Upcoming Interagency Meeting

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, Food and Drug Administration, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are hosting a February 24, 2015, public meeting in Washington, D.C., to update stakeholders and solicit input about the agencies’ collaborative initiatives to improve foodborne illness source attribution. The discussion will target the…

  • FDA Releases Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Produce Rule

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for a proposed rule establishing science-based standards for the growing, harvesting, packing and holding of produce for human consumption. The draft EIS reportedly identifies the following rule provisions as potentially significant to the human environment and offers alternatives for consideration:…

  • FDA Responds to NRDC’s Objections to Non-Nutritive Sweetener Advantame

    Responding to objections submitted by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed its decision to allow the use of advantame as a non-nutritive sweetener and flavor enhancer in foods intended for human consumption. FDA apparently received 12 responses to its May 21, 2014, final rule on advantame,…

  • FDA Seeks Non-Voting Industry Rep for Food Advisory Committee

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is requesting (i) nominations for a non-voting industry representative to serve on the Food Advisory Committee and (ii) statements from organizations interested in participating in the selection process for the non-voting committee member. The Food Advisory Committee evaluates data and makes recommendations on such matters as food ingredient safety;…

  • FDA Concludes Safety Assessment of BPA in Food Packaging

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated its online bisphenol A (BPA) information to reaffirm its conclusion that the substance is safe for approved food-packaging uses. According to the revised statement, agency experts in toxicology, analytical chemistry, endocrinology, epidemiology, and other fields completed “a four-year review of more than 300 scientific studies” without…