Category: Legislation, Regulations and Standards
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California Bans New Soda Taxes
California Governor Jerry Brown has signed the Keep Groceries Affordable Act, a statute preventing local agencies in the state from imposing taxes or fees on groceries, including “carbonated and noncarbonated nonalcoholic beverages,” until January 1, 2031. The law, which exempts taxes that do not specifically refer to groceries as a target classification, also invalidates any…
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France Targets Non-French Wine, Champagne
France’s Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité has filed an opposition with the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board contesting Teastream LLC’s application to register “Champagne’s Sober Cousin” for tea products. Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité v. Teastream LLC, No. 91241975 (T.T.A.B., opposition filed June 25, 2018). The French agency…
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Seattle Plastic Straw, Utensils Ban Takes Effect
Seattle’s ban on plastic straws and utensils took effect July 1, 2018, after the expiration of an exemption in a 2008 law requiring one-time-use food-service items to be compostable or recyclable. The law, which includes a medical necessity exception, can impose fines of $250 on businesses that fail to comply. Other U.S. cities have considered…
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Proposal Would Move Food Regulation to USDA
As part of a proposal to reorganize several federal agencies, the Trump administration has recommended that food-safety regulatory oversight be shifted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), combining the agency’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) with the current food purview of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to the proposal, the Government Accountability…
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FDA Releases Guidance on Protecting Against Food-Supply Attacks
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released draft guidance on intentional adulteration of the food supply. The guidance aims to help manufacturers develop and implement plans to protect their products by providing details on the components of a food defense plan, including vulnerability assessments, mitigation strategies and training requirements. Large businesses must have…
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OEHHA Determines Coffee Poses “No Significant Risk of Cancer”
California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has determined that coffee will not be required to carry a label indicating that it contains chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm pursuant to the state’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act (Proposition 65). According to the notice, “Coffee, a unique…
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Cornucopia Institute Issues Report on Organic Grain Fraud
The Cornucopia Institute has released “The Turkish Infiltration of the U.S. Organic Grain Market: How Failed Enforcement and Ineffective Regulations Made the U.S. Ripe for Fraud and Organized Crime,” a report arguing that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has failed to “curb the infiltration of questionable organic grain imports” into the U.S. food supply.…
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Canada to Revise Beer Compositional Standards
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has proposed changes to its compositional standards of beer, ale, stout, porter and malt liquor “to allow for innovation within the beer category while still preserving product integrity and to better reflect the tastes and needs of consumers.” The proposed amendments would update the definition of beer to allow the…