Category: Legislation, Regulations and Standards
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USDA, HHS Announce 2020 Dietary Guidelines Meeting
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) have announced the first meeting of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and the opening of the public comment period on the development of the updated guidelines. The March 28-29, 2019, meeting is open to the public and is the first of five…
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FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb To Resign
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has indicated that he will resign by the end of March 2019. Gottlieb reportedly said that he no longer wanted to commute between Washington, D.C., and Westport, Connecticut, where his family lives. Commentators have speculated that Gottlieb’s departure may affect FDA initiatives, such as its planned…
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USDA To Hold Listening Session on Hemp Cultivation
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced an online listening session to hear public input about “a new program to regulate hemp production.” The agency’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will host the webinar on March 13, 2019, with registration required by March 11 to speak during the session. “The Secretary of Agriculture and the…
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USDA, FDA to Jointly Oversee Cell-Based Meats
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have announced “a formal agreement to jointly oversee the production of human food products derived from the cells of livestock and poultry.” The agreement “describes the oversight roles and responsibilities for both agencies and how the agencies will collaborate to regulate the development…
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Bill Clarifying Slack-Fill Uses Introduced in Missouri
A Missouri state senator has introduced legislation that would clarify when slack fill is allowable in food containers. The bill would prohibit slack fill from being deemed as misleading for eight reasons, including (i) protection of the contents, (ii) reasonable industry standards, (iii) a specific function provided by the package, (iv) value added by the…
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CSPI Files FOIA Request on Salmonella Outbreak Sources
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking to identify the poultry-production plants associated with an outbreak of Salmonella. CSPI requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) deliver information on the “name, address, establishment number, and date of positive sample(s)” for poultry products…
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FDA to Hold CBD Public Hearings
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb reportedly said in a February 27, 2019, hearing before the House Appropriations Committee that the agency will hold public hearings on cannabidiol (CBD) in April 2019. Gottlieb reportedly told the committee that FDA is assembling a working group of senior officials to create rules that would…
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FDA Releases Strategy Document on Food Imports
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released “Strategy for the Safety of Imported Food,” which outlines methods the agency is using to ensure that it meets its four goals: (i) ensuring that imported food meets U.S. food safety requirements; (ii) preventing the entry of unsafe foods; (iii) rapidly responding to unsafe imported foods; and…