Food & Beverage Litigation & Regulatory Update

Category: Issue 389

  • European Parliament Fails to Block Infant Formula Health Claim

    The European Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee has reportedly failed to block approval for an infant formula manufacturer’s claim that adding the fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to baby food “contributes to the normal visual development of infants up to 12 months of age.” Although the application to include the health claim…

  • Codex Meetings Slated to Discuss Food Labeling, Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

    The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration have announced an April 25, 2011, public meeting in College Park, Maryland, to provide information and receive public comments on draft U.S. positions to be discussed at the 39th session of the Codex Committee on…

  • FSIS to Hold Meat and Poultry Pending Test Results

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has proposed a procedural change that would allow inspectors to keep meat and poultry products from commerce “until FSIS test results for harmful substances are received.” FSIS currently recommends that processors and official import establishments hold sampled products pending test results, but has evidently…

  • Agencies Seek Data on Listeria in Ready-to-Eat Foods

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) have announced that they are seeking comments and scientific data to update a risk assessment on the relationship between foodborne Listeria in selected ready-to-eat (RTE) foods and human health. According to the agencies, the effort is designed to evaluate reduction or prevention…

  • FDA Launches Recall Search Engine

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a new “consumer-friendly” web portal detailing the latest recalls, market withdrawals and safety alerts for food and other products regulated by FDA. According to an April 4, 2011, press release, the new searchable database organizes all recall information since 2009 “by date, product brand name, product description,…

  • National Menu and Vending Machine Labeling Laws Proposed

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued its proposed menu-labeling rule for chain restaurants and calorie-labeling rule for food in vending machines. According to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, “These proposals will ensure that consumers have more information when they make their own food choices. Giving consumers clear nutritional information…