Category: Legislation, Regulations and Standards
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ASA Upholds Challenge to Pret A Manger’s “Natural” Claims
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld an advocacy group’s challenge to the use of the term “natural” by Pret A Manger but rejected a challenge to the company’s advertising claim that its breads are fresh-baked at each location. Ads on Pret A Manger’s website and Facebook page claimed that the chain makes “handmade natural…
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U.K. to Ban Plastic Straws, Stirrers
The United Kingdom has announced plans to ban the sale of plastic straws and drink stirrers in an effort to combat plastic waste in oceans. Previous initiatives to further that goal have included a ban on microbeads in personal care products, fees for single-use plastic bags and a proposal for a deposit-return process for single-use…
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China Imposes 178.6 Percent Trade Duty for U.S. Sorghum
China’s Ministry of Commerce has reportedly announced that it will require importers of U.S.-grown sorghum to pay a 178.6 percent deposit in anticipation of anti-dumping tariffs, which may discourage imports and directly affect American growers. A Chinese investigation apparently concluded that U.S. sorghum is being dumped on the Chinese market, despite denials from U.S. officials. “This…
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Agriculture Committee Introduces 2018 Farm Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives’ Agriculture Committee has introduced the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (Farm Bill). The bill includes provisions on farm policy, regulatory reform, animal health and specialty and organic crops. According to the committee’s highlights, “One of the most consistent complaints policymakers hear from farmers and ranchers is about burdensome regulations.…
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EU Proposes “New Deal for Consumers”
The European Commission has proposed changes to directives governing food safety, marketing and distribution. According to an EU news release, the proposal would update the General Food Law, “which dates back from 2002 and thus needs an update,” and “will give citizens greater access to information submitted to the European Food Safety Authority [(EFSA)] on…
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OEHHA Seeking Comments on Two Chemicals for Prop. 65
The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is accepting public submissions of information relevant to the assessment of carcinogenicity of two chemicals—gentian violet and N-nitrohexamethyleneimine—that the agency is considering for inclusion on the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act (Prop. 65) list. Hazard identification materials for each of the…
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USDA Codex Meeting Announced
The Office of Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will host a public meeting on May 31, 2018, to provide information about the agenda items and U.S. positions for the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission to be held in Rome, Italy, on July 2-6, 2018.…
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USDA Proposes Changes to National Poultry Improvement Plan
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has proposed multiple amendments to the National Poultry Improvement Plan, including changes to committee participation and testing procedures for avian influenza, typhoid and other diseases. Public comments will be accepted through May 9, 2018.