Category: U.S. Government and Regulatory Agencies
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USDA Criticized for Proposed Changes to Poultry and Hog Inspection
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued a report finding that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) did not adequately evaluate the impact of proposed poultry and hog inspection changes that would replace some USDA inspectors on slaughter lines with plant personnel tasked with ensuring quality and safety standards.…
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USDA Seeks Comments on Salmonella Testing Process
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a request for comments regarding changes to its procedure for Salmonella verification sampling of raw beef products. Among other things, FSIS stated that it will (i) begin “analyzing for Salmonella all raw beef samples that it collects for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli…
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DeLauro Targets Failure of USDA’s Computerized Sampling System
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) has sent an August 23, 2013, letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Food Safety Elisabeth Hagen about “the ongoing problems with the Public Health Information System (PHIS) used by the Food Safety [and] Inspection Service (FSIS).” Citing reports that PHIS recently experienced a system-wide shutdown that…
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COOL Dispute Intensifies Before D.C. Court and WTO
A federal court in the District of Columbia will consider on August 27, 2013, whether to issue a preliminary injunction to stop the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from implementing country-of-origin labeling (COOL) program changes required by a 2011 World Trade Organization (WTO) determination that, as initially drafted, the rules gave less favorable treatment to…
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NOP to Modify Rules Governing Use of Substances in Organic Crop Production and Processing
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (NOP) has issued a proposed rule that would amend the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances to permit the use of biodegradable biobased mulch film in organic crop production and the use of Citrus hystrix and curry leaves in organic processing. NOP has also proposed removing…
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FTC Seeks Comments on Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a request for comments concerning a proposed parental consent method submitted by AssertID, Inc. under the Voluntary Commission Approval Processes provision of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule. Amended December 19, 2012, and effective July 1, 2013, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule requires certain websites to post…
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FSIS Extends Comment Period on Proposed Rule for Mechanically Tenderized Beef
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has extended the comment period for a proposed rule that would require “mechanically tenderized” labeling for raw or partially cooked needle- or blade-tenderized beef products, “including beef products injected with marinade or solution.” According to FSIS, the rule would also require the labels of…
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USDA-IOG Issues Audit Report on Organic Milk Operations
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has released a July 2013 audit report examining how the Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS’s) National Organic Program (NOP) established the “access to pasture” rule for organic dairy cattle. Although OIG generally found that the new rules for organic milk production were “successfully implemented,” it…