Category: Legislation, Regulations and Standards
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AMS Permits Younger Chickens To Be “Roasters”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has lowered the age requirement for poultry carcasses to be classified as “roaster chickens.” The previous standard required chickens to be eight weeks old and weight 5.5 pounds; according to a petition from the National Chicken Council, this standard prevented companies from labeling and marketing chickens…
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FDA Announces Modernization for Dairy Product Identities
Following his related statements at a conference, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has announced that the agency will review the standardized identities of dairy products and products marketed as their substitutes, including beverages made from almonds, rice or soy. The announcement suggests that allowing the plant-based substitutes to be labeled as…
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Foodborne Disease Report Released
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a report on foodborne illnesses in the United States from 2009 to 2015. The agency’s Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System received reports of 5,760 outbreaks, resulting in 100,939 ilnesses, 5,699 hospitalizations and 145 deaths. The data reportedly revealed that norovirus was the most common outbreak…
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FSIS Proposes to Loosen “U.S. Inspected and Passed” Livestock Requirement
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has proposed an amendment to a rule requiring that livestock carcasses be “marked with the official inspection legend at the time of inspection in a slaughter establishment” if the carcasses will be processed further at the same location. According to FSIS, the rule was…
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EFSA Releases Report on Improving Risk Assessments
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has released a scientific report identifying potential areas of improvement in the agency’s emerging risks identification procedure. The report highlights “weaknesses with respect to data collection, analysis and integration” and suggests that broader analyses would improve the system. Recommendations include (i) integrating social sciences “to improve understanding of interactions…
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ASA Bans Heinz Ad After Revision Fails to Correct Complaint
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has again barred HJ Heinz Foods UK from airing a television commercial suggesting that the nutritional benefits of beans and a protein supplement are comparable. After ASA found that the ad made an unpermitted nutrition claim, Heinz changed a line in the commercial to reduce an implied comparison between…
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FDA Commissioner Questions Milk Standards Enforcement
At a speaking engagement, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb reportedly expressed that the agency’s standards of identity for milk have not been enforced. According to the standard of identity, milk is “the lacteal secretion, practically free from colostrum, obtained by the complete milking of one or more healthy cows,” a definition…
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Cattle Producer Receives Warning on Antibiotic Use
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sent a warning letter to Roorda Dairy advising that an investigation of its premises revealed cattle sold for food that tested positive for unapproved antibiotics. The agency purportedly tested muscle tissue and found antibiotics used contrary to the approved label use and found no evidence of veterinary…