Category: U.S. Government and Regulatory Agencies
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Denmark to Ban PFAS from Food Packaging
Denmark has reportedly passed a law that will ban per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from cardboard and paper used for food packaging. “These substances represent such a health problem that we can no longer wait for the EU,” Denmark’s food minister is quoted as saying. Recycled paper may continue to be used if the PFAS…
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GAO Issues Report on “Use By” Labeling
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has conducted a study on how “use by” and “best by” dates on food products could be improved to reduce food waste. The agency examined actions by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and concluded with the recommendation that “USDA and FDA develop…
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DOJ Announces Guilty Plea in E. Coli Prosecution
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced that Memet Beqiri had pleaded guilty to “a charge related to his meat processing business’s falsification of numerous E. coli test results,” according to a press release. Beqiri, owner and general manager of New England Meat Packing LLC, allegedly prepared and submitted falsified documents indicating that the…
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FDA to Hold Standards of Identity Meeting
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a public meeting to discuss the agency’s “effort to modernize food standards of identity (SOI) and provide information about changes we could make to existing SOI, particularly changes that could be made across categories of standardized foods (i.e., horizontal changes), to provide flexibility for the development…
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FTC Workshop Focuses on “Made in USA” Claims
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will hold a public workshop to consider “Made in USA” product claims on September 26, 2019. In advance, FTC is requesting comments on several questions, including: (i) “What rationales underlie consumer preferences for products made in USA?”; (ii) “When consumers see product advertisements or labels stating or implying that…
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FDA Issues First Warning Letter for FSMA Foreign Supplier Program
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued the first warning letter enforcing the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Final Rule on Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) for Importers of Food for Humans and Animals. The letter targeted a company importing tahini that was recalled after purportedly causing a Salmonella outbreak. “Moving forward, the…
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Guidance Released on Converting Vitamin Measures for Nutrition Label
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Nutrition and Food Labeling has released guidance providing “step-by-step instructions to manufacturers of retail food products marketed in the United States on how they may convert the previous units of measure for certain nutrients to the new units in the updated Nutrition Facts label.” The guidance also…
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Illinois Adds Sesame to Allergen-Labeling Regulations
Illinois has passed a law requiring businesses to indicate on food labels whether a product contains sesame. The amended law deems a food misbranded if “it contains sesame, is offered for sale in package form but not for immediate consumption, and the label does not include sesame.” The state representative who sponsored the legislation told…