Food & Beverage Litigation & Regulatory Update

Category: FDA

  • Support Sought for Citizen Petitions on Sugary Beverages Pending Before FDA

    U.S. Reps. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Lucille Roybal Allard (D-Calif.) have circulated a request to their colleagues that they join a letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg asking that the agency take action on two citizen petitions, pending before the agency for some eight years, seeking a rule…

  • FDA Extends Comment Period on Salmonella Risk from Tree Nuts

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended until December 16, 2013, the period for submission of comments, scientific data and other information related to its risk assessment of human salmonellosis associated with the consumption of tree nuts. Originally published in the July 18 Federal Register, the assessment seeks to quantify the public health risk…

  • FDA Extends Comment Deadline for Proposed Arsenic Action Level in Apple Juice

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended until November 12, 2013, the period for submission of comments, scientific data and other information related to its draft guidance titled “Arsenic in Apple Juice: Action Level.” Originally published in the July 15 Federal Register, the guidance proposes an action level of 10 parts per billion…

  • FDA Reports Arsenic Levels in Rice Pose No Short-Term Risk

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reported that after testing 1,300 samples of rice and rice products for the presence of arsenic, the agency has determined that although the levels varied significantly depending on the product tested, the amount of detectable arsenic is “too low” to cause any “immediate or short-term adverse health…

  • Federal Court Could Rule in COOL Dispute Within Two Weeks

    According to a news source, the federal court that heard a challenge to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) revision to its country-of-origin labeling (COOL) rules to comply with a World Trade Organization ruling stated during the hearing that it would issue a decision on the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction within 14 days.…

  • Visa Delays Affecting FDA Inspections in China

    According to a news source, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) personnel have experienced significant delays in obtaining visas from China to staff food and drug inspection offices in that country. One staff member reportedly withdrew his application after waiting nine months for approval to work in China. The delays are seen as a setback…

  • Petition Proposes Expanding Safe Uses of Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has apparently filed a petition submitted by the Dean Foods Co. and the WhiteWave Foods Co. “proposing that the food additive regulations be amended to provide for the expanded safe uses of vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 as nutrient supplements in food.” In particular, the petition seeks to amend…

  • FDA to Prepare EIS for Proposed Produce Standards

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced plans to prepare an environment impact statement (EIS) for a proposed rule that would establish standards for the growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of produce for human consumption. According to an August 16, 2013, FDA press release, the agency determined that an EIS was necessary based on…