Category: Issue 277
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Irish Report Calls for Regulation of Nanotechnology Applications in Food Industry
A recent FSAI report addresses the application of nanotechnology to the food industry and urges the European Union (EU) to provide a legislative framework for regulating nanotechnology in food. Citing a general lack of information concerning the purported risks of nanoparticles in food, FSAI recommends the following: (i) “food business operators should conduct risk assessments…
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GAO Report Faults FDA Oversight of Fresh Produce Imports
A GAO report has claimed that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “examined less than 1 percent of the 7.6 million fresh produce lines imported from fiscal years 2002 through 2007.” “Moreover, FDA acknowledged that it has not yet been able to conduct certain fresh produce work crucial to understanding the incidence of contamination of…
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COOL Regulations Take Effect
Country-of-origin labeling rules, long-delayed for fresh, perishable foods other than fish and shellfish, went into effect on September 30, 2008. They require supermarkets and mass-merchandise outlets to label or display the country of origin for meats, poultry, produce, and some nuts. Small food outlets, such as butcher shops and restaurants are exempt, and the rules…
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USDA Seeks to Revoke Accreditation of Sustainable Agriculture Standard Developer
USDA has requested that the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) revoke the standards-development accreditation of the Leonardo Academy, the entity behind the development of a sustainable agriculture standard that was published as a draft standard for trial use in ANSI’s Standards Action in April 2007. Details about an initial stakeholder meeting held in November to…
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FDA Amends Labeling Regulations for Health Claims Pertaining to Calcium, Osteoporosis and Vitamin D
FDA has issued a final rule “amending its labeling regulation authorizing a health claim on the relationship between calcium and a reduced risk of osteoporosis to include vitamin D so that, in addition to the claim for calcium and osteoporosis, an additional claim can be made for calcium and vitamin D and osteoporosis.” Effective January…
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FDA Issues Melamine Risk Assessment; More Tainted Candy Found in the United States
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week issued the results of “its interim safety and risk assessment of melamine and melamine-related compounds in food, including infant food.” Prompted by “reports of melamine contamination in milk-derived ingredients” manufactured in China, FDA reviewed its scientific literature on melamine toxicity, pointing to “gaps in our scientific knowledge”…