Category: Legislation, Regulations and Standards
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China to Tariff U.S. Food Commodities
China has reportedly imposed tariffs on imports of U.S.-made agricultural products, including pork, soybeans, wheat, beef, orange juice, whiskey and corn, following the United States’ imposition of tariffs on Chinese steel and other products. Several agriculture advocacy groups have expressed serious concerns about the projected effects of the tariffs. Max Baucus, former U.S. senator for Montana…
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Updated National List Includes Carrageenan
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the renewal of 17 substances for the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances, which determines which synthetic substances can be used in organic farming. Included on the list is carrageenan; USDA found that “potential substitutes do not adequately replicate the functions of carrageenan across the broad…
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USDA Releases Animal Traceability Report From Working Group
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released Animal Disease Traceability: Summary of Program Reviews and Proposed Directions from State-Federal Working Group, an overview report of the Animal Disease Traceability Program (ADT) that includes a summary of stakeholder feedback and preliminary recommendations to improve the program. According to the report, an internal review of ADT…
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FDA Announces Science Board Meeting
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a public advisory committee meeting of the Science Board, which advises the agency on complex scientific and technical issues and emerging issues within the scientific community. Written submissions on issues pending before the committee will be accepted until April 18, 2018, for the April 23 meeting.
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FDA Commissioner Offers Look at Agency’s Direction
In a speech at the National Food Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb reportedly summarized the agency’s plans, including (i) defining “healthy” for use with a food-labeling icon, (ii) implementing delayed updates to nutrition labels, and (iii) creating a strategy for reduction in salt consumption. Gottlieb reportedly…
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DeLauro Asks GAO To Review Regulatory Framework for Lab-Grown Foods
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) has sent a letter asking the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine the regulatory framework for cell-cultured food products. According to the letter, such food products include lab-grown meat and “animal-free” milk that can be produced from fermented yeast and proteins in cow’s milk. DeLauro requested a “comprehensive review”…
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Washington Bans PFAs in Food Packaging
Washington Governor Jay Inslee has signed into law the Healthy Food Packaging Act (H.B. 2658/S.B. 6396), making the state the first in the country to ban perfluorinated chemicals (PFAs) in food packaging. If the Washington’s Department of Ecology identifies safer alternatives to PFAs by January 1, 2020, the law will ban PFAs in paper food…
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Public Meeting Scheduled for Codex Session on Analysis and Sampling Methods
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will sponsor a public meeting April 6, 2018, in Washington, D.C., to provide information and receive public comment on U.S. draft positions for the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling meeting to be held in Budapest, Hungary, May 7-11,…