Category: Legislation, Regulations and Standards
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U.K. Launches Consultation on Allergen Labeling
The U.K. Food Standards Agency has opened a public consultation on labeling allergens on prepared food products. The consultation applies to foods “prepacked on the premises in anticipation of an order, before being offered for sale,” such as “fresh (uncooked) pizzas from the deli counter,” “boxed salads,” “hot foods such as rotisserie chicken or wedges,”…
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The Lancet Issues Report on Obesity, Undernutrition and Climate Change
The Lancet Commission has issued a report on “The Global Syndemic,” a combination of “three pandemics—obesity, undernutrition, and climate change.” The report was intended to focus on obesity as the Commission did in similar reports issued in 2011 and 2015, but the authors apparently found the roles of undernutrition and climate change to be key…
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Nebraska Bill to Define Meat As Animal-Derived Reintroduced
Nebraska State Sen. Carol Blood has reintroduced her bill to define “meat” as a product derived from animals following a withdrawal of her previous bill. The updated proposal would define meat as “any edible portion of any livestock or poultry carcass or part thereof and does not include insect-based, plant-based, or lab-grown food products.” The…
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EU Challenges U.S. Olive Tariffs in WTO Dispute
The European Union has requested a World Trade Organization consultation with the United States to address the imposition of tariffs on Spanish olives in August 2018. The United States reportedly applied countervailing and anti-dumping tariffs of 34.75 percent to the import of Spanish black olives on the grounds that Spanish growers receive benefits from the EU…
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Some FDA Inspectors Called to Work During Shutdown
In a series of tweets, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced that about 200 food investigators—of 550—for the agency’s Office of Human and Animal Food Operations have been working during the federal government’s partial shutdown, with additional staff possibly “on the way depending on needs.” Gottlieb further noted which food operations…
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Nebraska Bill to Define “Meat” Withdrawn
A Nebraska state senator has withdrawn a proposed bill to define “meat” as an animal-derived product. Sen. Carol Blood submitted the bill to protect the state’s meat industry, according to the Washington Post. “All I’m asking for is truth in advertising. It’s clear that meat comes from livestock, and livestock is our livelihood in Nebraska,”…
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CFS Files Petition to Ban Hydroponic Agriculture in Organic Food
The Center for Food Safety (CFS) has filed a petition recommending that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibit the use of hydroponic agriculture in the cultivation of organic food. “Hydroponic production systems are fundamentally different from organic production systems as defined by federal law—they do not promote soil health or conserve biodiversity,” the petition…
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Oregon Senators Urge FDA to Update CBD Regulations
Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) have sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting an update to federal regulations on cannabidiol (CBD) to “give U.S. producers more flexibility in the production, consumption, and sale of hemp products.” Wyden and Merkley urge FDA to answer a series of clarifying…