Category: Issue 387
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USDA Action on GE Alfalfa Draws New Lawsuit
The Center for Food Safety, Earthjustice and a number of other public interest groups have sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), challenging its decision to deregulate genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa. Ctr. for Food Safety v. Vilsack, No. 11-1310 (N.D. Cal., filed March 18, 2011). Other plaintiffs include the Cornucopia Institute, Geertson Seed Farms, which…
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Florida School District Deals with Student’s Life-Threatening Peanut Allergies
Leaders of Edgewater Elementary School in Edgewater, Florida, are reportedly planning to meet with parents disgruntled over the school’s accommodation of a 6-year-old girl with severe peanut allergies. Noting that the girl’s allergies are life-threatening and considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Volusia County School District spokesperson Nancy Wait said the meeting…
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Canada Publishes Names of Companies in Violation of Food Safety Regs
Canada has begun publishing the names of companies in violation of the country’s food, animal and plant-supply regulations. Reportedly aimed at improving accountability and transparency, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA’s) website initiative now publishes such information as the (i) “food imports that have been refused entry into Canada”; (ii) “federally registered food establishments whose licenses…
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Canada, EU Reach Tentative Agreement in Hormone-Treated Beef Dispute
Canada and the European Union (EU) have signed a memorandum of understanding that tentatively settles a long trade dispute over hormone-treated cattle. According to the March 17, 2011, memorandum, European nations will expand market access to Canadian beef while Canada will suspend trade sanctions on $11 million worth of EU imports. Effective since the early…
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FSIS Issues New Performance Standards for Salmonella and Campylobacter
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced new and revised performance standards to reduce Salmonella and Campylobacter incidence in young chickens and turkeys. Effective July 2011, the standards apparently draw on the FSIS Nationwide Microbiological Baseline Data Collection Programs and the recommendations of President Barack Obama’s (D) Food Safety…
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USDA Seeks Candidates for Advisory Committee on Biotechnology
The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture is requesting nominations for members to the Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture. Nominations for one- to two-year terms are requested by April 18, 2011. Members are selected to “achieve a balanced representation of viewpoints” to address USDA biotechnology policy issues. Issues of the most immediate concern involve…
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FDA Denies Requests to Revoke Irradiation Rule
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has denied requests to delay a final rule amending food additive regulations “to provide for the safe use of ionizing radiation for the control of Vibrio species and other foodborne pathogens in fresh or frozen molluscan shellfish.” According to FDA, it has reviewed opposition to the final rule and…
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Regulators Continue to Address Radiation Concerns
The World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have continued to address public concerns about food produced in Japan, where a recent earthquake and tsunami compromised the Fukushima prefecture’s nuclear power plant, releasing radiation into the atmosphere. According to WHO, which has published a list of frequently…