Category: U.S. Government and Regulatory Agencies
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FDA Releases Draft Guidance on Cannabis Research
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the availability of draft guidance that “outlines FDA’s current thinking on several topics relevant to the development of cannabis and cannabis-derived products: The source of cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds for clinical research; general quality considerations for developing drugs that contain cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds; and calculation…
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USDA, HHS Release 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released the first print of the Scientific Report of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which will be used to guide dietary recommendations. Changes include a reduced recommendation for the percentage of added sugars in an adult’s diet and…
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FDA to Resume Domestic Inspections
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it will resume domestic inspections of regulated facilities during the week of July 20, 2020, after pausing in March due to COVID-19. “To arm our investigators with the most reliable and accurate information, the FDA has developed a rating system to assist us in determining…
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FDA Announces New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a blueprint of plans to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act and a hub for the New Era of Smarter Food Safety. The blueprint focuses on four elements: (i) tech-enabled traceability; (ii) smarter tools and approaches for prevention and outbreak response; (iii) new business models and…
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USDA Responds to Petition on COVID-19 in Meat and Poultry Plants
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a response to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s petition urging the agency to require meat and poultry processing plants to publish information about COVID-19 testing and infection rates at their facilities and to include on their product labels the statement “Warning: Workers in U.S. meat and…
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Bill Proposed to Support Restaurants Through COVID-19 Crisis
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) has introduced The Real Economic Support That Acknowledges Unique Restaurant Assistance Needed to Survive Act of 2020 (RESTAURANTS Act). The proposed bill would create a $120 billion “restaurant stabilization grant program designed to help independent restaurants deal with the long-term structural challenges facing the industry due to COVID-19 and ensure…
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APHIS Amends Regulations on Movement of GMOs
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has released a final rule updating regulations on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The rule adjusts the regulatory process for specific GMOs created to combat plant pests that pose no increased plant pest risk than conventionally bred plants.
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USDA Implements Coronavirus Food Assistance Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a rule implementing the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which was allocated $9.5 billion in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stability Act. CFAP provides financial support for agricultural producers affected by COVID-19 to help offset sales losses. The Farm Service Agency and Agricultural Marketing Service will…