Category: Department of Agriculture
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USDA Announces Codex Meeting on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a public meeting to receive comments on the U.S. positions for the Codex Alimentarius Committee meeting on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses. The public meeting, which will be held October 19, 2021, will include discussions on a draft guide for ready-to-use therapeutic foods and the…
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USDA Requests Comments on Cultured Meat and Poultry
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has requested comments on “the labeling of meat and poultry products comprised of or containing cultured cells derived from animals subject to the Federal Meat Inspection Act or the Poultry Products Inspection Act.” Comments will be accepted until November 2, 2021. The announcement details the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association’s 2018 petition…
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Coalition of Advocacy Groups, Poultry Producers Calls for Changes
The Center for Science in the Public Interest has joined three other advocacy groups and four poultry producers to urge the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to update poultry food safety standards. “While progress on reducing foodborne illness has been at a standstill, scientific knowledge of Salmonella has greatly increased and recognized best practices for…
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USDA Announces Codex Meetings on Food Additives and Contaminants
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced public meetings to discuss U.S. positions for Codex Alimentarius Commission sessions on food contaminants and additives. The contaminants meeting will be held April 12, 2021, and will address issues such as maximum levels of cadmium in chocolate, levels of lead in multiple food categories, radioactivity in water,…
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USDA Reviewing Agency Inspections of Meatpacking Plants During COVID-19 Pandemic
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) inspector general will reportedly review how the agency handled inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Washington Post. The probe will review how the Food Safety and Inspection Service spent $33 million in extra funding provided by Congress in March 2020, including what precautions were taken to protect the…
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USDA, FDA Issue Joint Statement on Transmissibility of COVID-19 on Food Packaging
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have issued a joint statement stating that “there is no credible evidence of food or food packaging associated with or as a likely source of viral transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus causing COVID-19.” The statement was issued…
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Vilsack Confirmed as Agriculture Secretary
The U.S. Senate has voted 92-7 to confirm Tom Vilsack as head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Vilsack, who served in the position under former President Barack Obama, stated that his priorities include addressing “the pandemic, racial justice and equity and climate change.”
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USDA Releases Final Rule on Hemp Cultivation
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released its final rule governing the cultivation of hemp, which will take effect March 22, 2021. The draft rule would have required hemp to be shown to contain less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannibanol (THC) on testing conducted within 15 days of harvest, a proposal that drew criticism from several parties. The…