Category: Department of Agriculture
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Poultry Processing Speeds Executive Order Withdrawn
President Biden has withdrawn an executive order that would have allowed 25% faster processing speeds on poultry lines in meatpacking plants. The policy change would have allowed plants to process 175 slaughtered birds per minute, up from 140, in accordance with a proposal by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. Criticism…
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FSIS Partially Grants CSPI Petition on Nitrites
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has partially granted a petition filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) about the use of “No Nitrate or Nitrite Added” and “Uncured” on labels for “products that have been processed using any source of nitrates or nitrites.” FSIS indicated…
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USDA Denies Veal Group’s Petition on Regulatory Definitions
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has responded to a petition submitted by the American Veal Association aiming to establish “a regulatory definition for veal and other immature cattle that reflects established industry practices.” The petition included a proposed definition and suggested subcategories for “milk-fed…
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APHIS to Amend National Poultry Improvement Plan
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced that it will amend regulations governing the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP). The amendments “establish a U.S. Newcastle Disease Clean program within the NPIP, create an NPIP subpart specific to game birds, revise testing requirements, and clarify existing provisions of the…
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FSIS Releases Updated Import Guidance
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced the availability of updated guidance on importing meat, poultry and eggs into the United States. According to the announcement, “FSIS revised and reorganized a section on industry supply chain best practices; clarified approaches to levels of reinspection; added information about generic labeling…
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USDA Extends Hemp Comment Period
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that it will provide an additional 30 days for public comments on the interim final rule (IFR) that established the Domestic Hemp Production Program. According to the announcement, “Comments are solicited from all stakeholders, notably those who were subject to the regulatory requirements of the IFR during the…
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FSIS Announces Meat Inspection Committee Meeting
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced a virtual public meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) on September 24-25, 2020. The objectives are “for the Committee to review and advise about the steps FSIS should take to ensure better control of artisanal,…
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Schumer Urges USDA to Delay Hemp Rule
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to “delay the issuance of a U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program final rule until 2022 and allow hemp growers and producers across the country and in Upstate New York to continue to operate under the 2014 Farm Bill pilot program regulations…