Category: Legislation, Regulations and Standards
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EU Finalizes Ban on Some Single-Use Plastics
The Council of the European Union has voted to adopt measures banning “the 10 single-use plastic products most often found on European beaches,” including cutlery, plates, straws, drink stirrers, cups and other food and beverage containers. The ban focuses on products for which alternatives not constructed of single-use plastic are readily available. The decision will…
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AAFCO Issues Guidelines on Hemp in Animal Food
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has issued guidelines on the 2018 Farm Bill and its removal of hemp from the list of controlled substances. “As of April 2019, hemp and hemp products may not be used in animal feed or pet food in the United States,” the guidelines state. “In 2015 AAFCO…
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EFSA Issues Opinion on Titanium Dioxide as a Food Additive
Following the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety’s opinion suspending the sale of food products containing titanium dioxide—a food additive appearing in chewing gum, sauces and baked goods—the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued a statement asserting that no further research has been published that would cause the agency to…
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General Codex Meeting Scheduled
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a June 21, 2019, public meeting to discuss several general Codex Alimentarius Commission issues, including the adoption and revocation of Codex Texts, amendments to Codex Standards, the Codex Strategic Plan 2020-2025 and matters arising from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health…
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Hemp Not Allowed in Alcohol Beverages, TTB States
The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has issued an industry circular stating that it “will return for correction any applications for formulas containing ‘hemp’ ingredients (other than ingredients derived from hemp seeds or hemp seed oil)” until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicates that the ingredients’ use would not…
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EPA, New York Take Actions on Pesticides
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has affirmed its previous opinions finding that “there are no risks to public health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label and that glyphosate is not a carcinogen.” “EPA has found no risks to public health from the current registered uses of glyphosate,” EPA Administrator Andrew…
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States Target Food Packaging, Straw Bans with Legislation
Maine has reportedly become the first state to ban single-use food and drink containers made from polystyrene. The law, which will take effect in 2021, echoes a similar bill in Maryland that has been passed by the legislature but remains unsigned by the governor. According to the Associated Press, Oregon, Vermont and Connecticut are considering…
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FDA Draft Guidance Excludes Allulose from Added Sugar Disclosure
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued draft guidance allowing food manufacturers to exclude allulose when calculating the amount of added sugars a product contains. Allulose is “approximately 70 percent as sweet as sucrose,” according to a comment FDA received, and “does not have the metabolic properties of fructose or other sugars and…