Category: U.S. Government and Regulatory Agencies
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D.C. Circuit Orders En Banc Rehearing in AMI Challenge to COOL Rules
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated a panel’s March 28, 2014, denial of the motion for preliminary judgment filed by meat producer interests in litigation challenging U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations requiring retailers of “muscle cuts” of meat to list the countries of origin and production (country-of-origin labeling, or COOL) as to…
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USDA Solicits Feedback for New Maple Syrup Grading System
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has proposed revisions to the U.S. Standards for Grades of Maple Sirup in response to a 2011 petition submitted by the International Maple Syrup Institute (IMSI). Arguing that “consumers currently face a patchwork of grading systems in the United States that are confusing,” IMSI has…
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D.C. Circuit Upholds Meat-Source Labeling Requirements
In a 9-2 en banc decision, the District of Columbia Circuit has affirmed an earlier panel decision that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) can require meat producers to include country-of-origin labeling (COOL) on their packaging. Am. Meat. Inst. v. USDA, No. 13-5281 (D.C. Cir., order entered July 29, 2014). The First Amendment allows for…
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FTC’s Four Loko Final Order Modified
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved a modified final order in proceedings against Phusion Projects, LLC, which markets the malt beverage Four Loko, to account for the Department of Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau’s (TTB’s) denial of proposed changes to the company’s product labels. In re Phusion Projects, LLC, No. C-4382…
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USDA Rejects Petition Seeking Adulterant Designation for ABR Salmonella
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has denied the May 2011 petition filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) seeking an interpretive rule declaring certain antibiotic-resistant (ABR) strains of Salmonella to be adulterants when found in raw ground meat and raw ground poultry. Additional information…
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New Poultry Inspection Rules Require Proactive Pathogen Reduction, Set Maximum Line Speeds
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced a final rule amending poultry slaughter regulations and establishing a new poultry inspection system (NPIS) for young chicken and turkey slaughter establishments. Part of USDA’s response to a presidential executive order (E.O. 13563) asking agencies to review and improve existing regulations,…
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Senators Urge Commerce Department Against Quotas on Mexican Sugar Imports
A group of 17 U.S. senators has submitted a letter to the Commerce Department warning that a proposed suspension agreement imposing quotas on Mexican sugar imports would violate the North American Free Trade Agreement, “threaten the viability of American food manufacturers and raise food prices for American families.” Led by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and…
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FSIS Proposes Rule Requiring Ground Beef Records
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has proposed a rule requiring that “all makers of raw ground beef products keep records” that would allow FSIS to conduct timelier recalls of potentially contaminated meat. The proposed rule would require retailers that mix meats from multiple sources to keep more detailed…