Tag: food safety
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Overseas FDA Food Safety Offices Topic of New GAO Report
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has just released a report that discusses how the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) new overseas food safety offices are functioning and offers recommendations for enhancing strategic planning and developing a workforce plan “to help recruit and retain overseas staff.” Titled “Overseas Offices Have Taken Steps to Help Ensure Import…
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FDA Report Focuses on Improved Retail Food Safety
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a 10-year tracking report that calls for increased focus on food safety practices in retail food establishments. A companion 2009 retail food report highlights the need for certified food protection managers to help achieve higher food-safety compliance levels. The 1998-2008 tracking report, which studied more than…
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EC Proposes Limited Ban on Food from Cloned Livestock
The European Commission has reportedly proposed a five-year ban on animal cloning for food production in the European Union (EU), but stopped short of prohibiting meat and milk from clone offspring. According to an October 19, 2010, Europa press release, the plan would also suspend “the use of cloned farm animals and the marketing of…
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FSIS Issues In-Plant Video Monitoring Draft Guidelines
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued draft guidelines for video monitoring at federally inspected meat and poultry plants. Although the guidelines do not require in-plant video monitoring, such practices can be used to help strengthen food safety and humane animal-handling practices, and to monitor product inventory and…
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U.S. Codex Delegates Prepare for Upcoming Meetings
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced an October 13, 2010, public meeting in College Park, Maryland, to provide information and receive public comments on draft U.S. positions to be discussed at the 32nd Session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) on…
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FDA Announces Plan to Launch “Regulatory Science” Initiative
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a report titled “Advancing Regulatory Science for Public Health,” that outlines the agency’s plan to develop new scientific and technological tools, standards and approaches to improve its ability to assess the safety, efficacy, quality, and performance of FDA-regulated products, including foods and tobacco. FDA expects to use…
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FDA Releases Draft of Five-Year Strategic Plan
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a draft strategic priorities document for fiscal years 2011-2015 that outlines four key cost-cutting strategic priorities and four strategic program goals designed to help FDA achieve its public health mission. According to an October 1, 2010, Federal Register notice, the four cost-cutting priorities seek to (i) “advance…
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EFSA Reaffirms Safety of Food Derived from Cloned Pigs, Cattle
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a scientific statement reaffirming its 2009 conclusion that “in relation to food safety, there is no indication that differences exist for meat and milk of clones and their progeny compared with those from conventionally bred animals.” The food safety watchdog’s assessment, however, pertains only to pigs and…