Category: U.S. Government and Regulatory Agencies
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House Passes Cannabis Banking Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the SAFE Banking Act, which allows financial-service firms to work with “cannabis-related legitimate businesses and service providers,” providing protection from federal prosecution for banks in states that have legalized cannabis. The bill, introduced by Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.), has been sent to the Senate. In its press release…
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Guidance on Antimicrobials in Animals Released
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released guidance on the use of “medically important antimicrobials” in “food-producing animals.” The guidance describes a voluntary process that “will help ensure new animal drugs containing antimicrobials of human importance are administered only under veterinary oversight and only for therapeutic uses.” The agency will accept comments on the…
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U.S. Lawmakers Urge FDA to Act on CBD
A group of U.S. lawmakers, led by Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and James Comer (R-Ky.), have urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to “quickly adopt a policy of enforcement discretion and to consider issuing an interim final rule to regulate [cannabidiol (CBD)] as a dietary supplement and food additive while simultaneously moving forward with…
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FSIS Finalizes Pork-Processing Rule
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced a “final rule to modernize swine slaughter inspection and bring it into the 21st century.” The rule “amends the regulations to require all swine slaughter establishments to develop written sanitary dressing plans and implement microbial sampling to monitor process control for enteric…
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Ad Board Recommends Change to Animal Welfare Claim
The National Advertising Division (NAD) has recommended that Clemens Food Group and its flagship brand, Hatfield Quality Meats, “discontinue the claim ‘Ethically Raised by Family Farmers Committed to a Higher Standard of Care, Governed by Third Party Animal Welfare Audits.’” NAD acknowledged that the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) reviewed the claim, but the…
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FDA Announces Food Safety Meeting
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced “A New Era of Smarter Food Safety,” a public meeting “to get input from a broad cross-section of stakeholders on a modern approach the Agency is taking to strengthen its protection of the food supply.” The meeting, which will be held October 21, 2019, is intended…
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FTC Issues Warning Letters to CBD Companies
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has announced that it sent warning letters to three companies selling “oils, tinctures, capsules, ‘gummies,’ and creams containing cannabidiol (CBD), a chemical compound derived from the cannabis plant.” The announcement notes that the letters warn the companies—which have not been identified—that “it is illegal to advertise that a product can…
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CSPI Submits Petition on Nitrate, Nitrite Labeling
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and Consumer Reports have petitioned the Food Safety and Inspection Service, requesting the agency “clarify the labeling of processed meats.” “Specifically, we ask that the agency cease requiring that such products be labeled ‘Uncured,’ and/or ‘No Nitrate or Nitrite Added’ when they have been processed using…