Category: Issue 343
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Federal Court Dismisses Excess-Giblet Litigation
A federal court in Illinois has dismissed with prejudice the second amended complaint filed in putative class litigation alleging that a chicken processing company violated state consumer fraud and protection laws by selling its whole chickens with the extra giblets that it cannot sell with its cut-up chicken portions or as pet food. Nieto v.…
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California Schedules Public Forum on Potential Listing of BPA as Reproductive Toxin; Workshop on NOEL Regulatory Changes Also Scheduled
Cal/EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has scheduled an April 20, 2010, public forum on its proposal to list bisphenol A (BPA) as a reproductive toxin under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Prop. 65). The action was taken in response to a request for a public forum to…
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U.S. Codex Delegates Schedule Meeting to Discuss Food Labeling
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced an April 7, 2010, public meeting to discuss draft U.S. positions for the 38th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labeling (CCFL) slated for May 3-7, 2010, in Quebec City, Canada. Issues to be discussed include (i) “Labeling Provisions in Draft…
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USDA Proposes Rule to Enhance Safety of Meat, Poultry Products
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a proposed rule designed to enhance the safety of meat and poultry products. The proposal would require that regulated establishments (i) promptly notify FSIS if any unsafe, unwholesome or “misbranded meat or poultry product has entered commerce”; (ii) “prepare and maintain current…
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USDA Sponsors Food Safety Conference; CSPI Calls for Improvements to Outbreak Reporting
During a U.S. Department of Agriculture-sponsored food safety education conference in Atlanta this week, government, industry and academic speakers addressed a range of issues, including the causes of food borne illness, data collection and analysis, consumer behavior, food recalls, and foodservice workforce training. Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director with the Center for Science in…
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USDA Inspector General Report Finds Gaps in Organic Program Oversight
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) has published a March 2010 audit report recommending several improvements to the National Organic Program (NOP) administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). “We conducted the audit because of the size and growth of the organic industry as well as the public’s increased interest in…
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EPA Issues Toxicological Review of Acrylamide
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a “Toxicological Review of Acrylamide” in support of information on its Integrated Risk Information System. The chemical, which is formed during the high-temperature heating of starchy foods, is also used in a number of industrial processes and in adhesives and grouts. According to the agency, many laboratory…
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GAO Report Criticizes FDA Handling of Irradiation Petitions
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued a report criticizing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its handling of irradiated food products. In response to congressional inquiries, GAO examined current and proposed FDA labeling requirements for irradiated foods, as well as “the extent to which FDA has effectively managed the petition review process…