Category: U.S. Government and Regulatory Agencies
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Senate Confirms FDA Commissioner
The U.S. Senate has voted to confirm Stephen Hahn as the commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Hahn, an expert in radiation oncology, reportedly promised to prioritize science, data and public health over political interests when directing the agency’s policy.
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NAD Declines RXBAR Label Challenge
The National Advertising Division (NAD) has found that Insurgent Brands LLC’s RXBAR labels, which feature a brief list of ingredients on the front, communicate a substantiated claim about the main ingredients in the product and do not “convey misleading implied claims about weight and proportions of the protein bar inside.” Kind Inc. challenged the labels,…
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FDA Issues Warning Letters, Consumer Update on CBD, Sparking Litigation Against CBD Cos.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a consumer update on cannabidiol (CBD) products and other products containing ingredients derived from cannabis. The update clarified that FDA “is concerned that people may mistakenly believe that trying CBD ‘can’t hurt’” because the agency has “seen only limited data about CBD’s safety and these data…
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Companies and Owners Plead Guilty to Seafood Fraud
The U.S. Department of Justice has announced that Roy Tuccillo, Sr., his son Roy Tuccillo, Jr., and their food processing and distribution companies, Anchor Frozen Foods Inc. and Advanced Frozen Foods Inc., have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The companies reportedly imported 113,000 pounds of squid and sold it as octopus to…
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CFS Petitions USDA on Drug Residues
The Center for Food Safety (CFS) has filed a petition urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide transparency on the levels of drug residue in meat, poultry and egg products found as part of the agency’s National Residue Program (NRP). The advocacy group specifically requests that all approved animal drugs be incorporated in…
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GAO Recommends FDA Establish Sampling Process for Seafood Imports
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a recommendation that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) establish a process that ensures the agency tests at least one shipment of imported seafood before removing it from alert status. GAO reviewed 274 removal decisions between 2011 and 2018 and found that FDA did not conduct audits…
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Oregon Sens. Request Changes to USDA Hemp Rule
In a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) have requested changes to the interim final rule on hemp production. Wyden and Merkley, who co-wrote the legislation that legalized hemp farming, passed along feedback from Oregon farmers, researchers and regulators, according to a press release. The…
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DeLauro, Gillibrand Urge Transparency in USDA Testing
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) have sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) urging the agency to “adopt a policy of greater transparency with respect to the microbiological testing” that the agency collects from meat slaughter and processing establishments. The letter cites a Salmonella outbreak in ground beef…