Category: Legislation, Regulations and Standards
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PIRG Releases Food Safety Report
Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) has published a report on food safety in the United States. The report finds an increase in food recalls since 2013 but acknowledges that systemic advances in food-safety issue detection may partly account for that increase. The authors make a number of policy recommendations, including (i) requiring food-production plants to…
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Red Bull Ad Makes Unauthorized Focus Claims, ASA Rules
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled that Red Bull Co. made unauthorized health claims about purported benefits of its energy drink on mental focus and concentration. The company’s subway advertisement featured cartoon women in an office setting with the text “The Secret to Finishing Early.” The ad referenced a consumer initiative encouraging workers…
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USDA Releases GMO Labeling Standard
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Marketing Service has released the final National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS), which will require food manufacturers, importers and other entities to indicate on a product’s label whether it was made with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The rule applies to food products in which the predominant ingredient is…
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Canadian Food Safety Law Takes Effect
The Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR), which consolidates 14 Canadian food safety laws into one set of rules, went into effect January 15, 2019. The final rules were published in June 2018 and aim to “provide clear and consistent rules for food commodities so consumers can be confident that food on grocery shelves is…
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U.K. Public Consultation to Examine Ads for Foods High in Fat, Sugar and Salt
The United Kingdom has launched a public consultation on a proposal to restrict some types of advertising for foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS). The consultation targets “volume-based price promotions of HFSS food and drink that encourage people to buy more than they need, for example, ‘buy one, get one free’ and free…
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FDA Issues Uniform Compliance Date, Technical Amendments to Nutrition Facts Panel
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established January 1, 2022, as “the uniform compliance date for food labeling regulations that are published on or after January 1, 2019, and on or before December 31, 2020” to help “minimize the economic impact of label changes.” The agency also issued technical amendments to the Nutrition…
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ASA Dismisses Bacardi Ad Complaint
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has declined to take action against Bacardi-Martini Ltd. following a complaint that its television ad “was irresponsible because it encouraged immoderate drinking by implying that drinking should take place before and throughout a night out.” In its determination, ASA found that “a sealed bottle of Bacardi rum was shown…
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Oklahoma Health Board Approves Food Safety Standards for Cannabis-Infused Products
Oklahoma’s Board of Health has unanimously approved recommendations from the state’s Medical Marijuana Food Safety Standards Board on health and safety requirements for producing cannabis-infused foods, according to Tulsa World. The standards incorporate existing state food regulations but will add stricter criteria and tests, including testing for cannabinoid potency, heavy-metals levels and chemical residues.