Category: Issue
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Settlement in Pepsi 4-MEI Suit Preliminarily Approved
A California federal court has granted preliminary approval for a settlement agreement in a lawsuit alleging PepsiCo products contain levels of 4-Methylimidazole (4-MEI) exceeding the legally permissible amount under the state’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Prop. 65). Sciortino v. PepsiCo Inc., No. 14-0478 (N.D. Cal., order entered June 28, 2016).…
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Eighth Circuit Upholds Prison Sentences for Egg Execs
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the legality of three-month prison sentences handed down to former Quality Egg, LLC executives Austin “Jack” DeCoster and his son Peter, former officials of the company deemed responsible for a 2010 Salmonella outbreak traced to its Iowa egg farms. United States v. Quality Egg, LLC, No. 15-1890…
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EFSA Launches Web-Based Botanicals Compendium
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has released a searchable database of botanicals that contain naturally occurring substances of potential concern to human health. The compendium is intended for use as a safety assessment tool for food and dietary supplement manufacturers. The compendium will reportedly be expanded to include non-European botanical species and is expected…
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U.S. Codex Delegates Schedule CCPFV Meeting
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety and Agricultural Marketing Service are convening an August 1, 2016, public meeting in Washington, D.C., to evaluate draft positions and receive public comments in advance of the 28th Session of the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables (CCPFV) slated for September…
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CRS Issues Nanotechnology Policy Primer
A new report from the public policy research arm of the U.S. Congress provides an overview of federal research and development (R & D) in nanotechnology; environmental, health and safety concerns; and U.S. competitiveness in the field. According to the Congressional Research Service, Congress has appropriated nearly $21.8 billion for nanotechnology R & D since…
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Court Vacates Organic Fertilizer Rule for APA Violation
A California federal court has invalidated an amended section of the Organic Foods Production Act that allowed organic producers to use compost materials containing synthetic fertilizers, finding the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) violated the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) by failing to subject the amendment to public notice and comment before it took effect. Ctr.…
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EFSA Panel Recommends Further Assessment of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Food
Responding to a request from the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) Panel for Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM Panel) has published a statement on the presences of microplastics and nanoplastics in food, particularly seafood. According to the CONTAM panel, microplastics range in size from 0.1 to 5,000…
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EFSA Launches Study of BPA’s Effect on Immune System
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has launched a new working group “to evaluate new scientific evidence on the potential effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on the immune system.” Prompted by a Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment report on new studies “describing pre- and perinatal effects of BPA on the immune…