Category: FDA
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FDA to Resume Domestic Inspections
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it will resume domestic inspections of regulated facilities during the week of July 20, 2020, after pausing in March due to COVID-19. “To arm our investigators with the most reliable and accurate information, the FDA has developed a rating system to assist us in determining…
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FDA Announces New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a blueprint of plans to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act and a hub for the New Era of Smarter Food Safety. The blueprint focuses on four elements: (i) tech-enabled traceability; (ii) smarter tools and approaches for prevention and outbreak response; (iii) new business models and…
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FDA Publishes Findings of Leafy Greens E. Coli Investigation
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published the results of its investigation into an outbreak of E. coli in November and December 2019 caused by romaine lettuce and other leafy greens from the Salinas Valley area of California. FDA found that nearby land used for cattle grazing was the most likely contributing factor…
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FDA Releases Reopening Guidelines for Food Establishments
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a food-safety checklist for retail food establishments that have been closed or operating in a limited capacity during shelter-in-place orders. The list covers issues that may arise if a facility has been closed, such as ensuring water and sewage lines or coolers and freezers are working,…
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WHO, Governments Issue Advice on Food Safety During COVID-19 Pandemic
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued “COVID-19 and food safety: guidance for food businesses,” which provides information on the risks of transmission of COVID-19 in the food and beverage industry. “It is highly unlikely that people can contract COVID-19 from food or food packaging,” the guidance states. “Coronaviruses cannot multiply in food; they need…
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FDA Warns CBD Sellers for COVID-19 Claims
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has urged several sellers of products with cannabidiol (CBD) to stop marketing their products as able to treat or prevent COVID-19. The letters, sent by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), emphasize that “FDA is taking urgent measures to protect consumers from certain products that, without approval…
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FDA Releases Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released its plan to combat outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) carried by leafy greens. “Due to the reoccurring nature of outbreaks associated with leafy greens, FDA has developed this commodity-specific action plan,” the announcement states. “Expediting the improved safety of leafy greens will require collaboration between…
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FDA Releases Guidance on Intentional Adulteration
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released the third and final installment of its draft guidance on intentional adulteration of food under the Food Safety Modernization Act. The guidance focuses on food defense corrective actions, food defense verification, reanalysis and recordkeeping. The rule applies to domestic and foreign companies required to register with…