Tag: food safety
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Food Safety Working Group Launches Web Site
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched a website designed to inform and welcome input about President Barack Obama’s Food Safety Working Group. The group, chaired by the secretaries of USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services, is charged with upgrading food safety laws for the 21st century, fostering coordination throughout government,…
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Comment, “Product Liability and Food in Washington State: What Constitutes Manufacturing?,” Seattle University Law Review, Spring 2009
This student-authored article, prepared with the assistance of an attorney from the office of food litigator William Marler, discusses the inconsistent interpretations Washington courts have given to the definition of “manufacturer” in the state’s product liability statute. The issue is critical in foodborne illness cases because those food sellers not deemed to be manufacturers can…
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FDA Fails to Reach Food-Safety Inspection Audit Goals
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) apparently failed to meet its 2007-08 goals for auditing food-safety inspections that states did on its behalf, according to a news source. State agencies apparently do half of FDA’s food inspections, and FDA aims to audit 7 percent to make sure states reach a satisfactory standard. But FDA fell…
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Consumer Advocates Protest Chicken Imports from China
The consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch (FWWatch) recently launched a campaign to block chicken imports from China, where several U.S. companies are reportedly building plants. Alleging that these corporations are “putting pressure” on lawmakers, FWWatch has asked Congress to uphold its 2008 ban on imported processed poultry in light of “specific problems” with China’s…
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Farm Foundation Holds Public Forum on Food Safety Regulations
The Farm Foundation recently hosted a public forum titled “The Future of Food Safety Regulation” to discuss agricultural, food and rural policies designed to revamp the current regulatory system. Held April 7, 2009, at the National Press Club, the forum featured a panel of experts that included Jim Hodges of the American Meat Institute, Carol…
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Marshals Execute Warrant at N.J. Company That Refused to Recall Peanut Products
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that U.S. marshals executed an inspection warrant at Westco Fruit and Nuts, Inc., in Irvington, New Jersey, after the company refused to recall its peanut products or provide access to distribution documents in the wake of the Salmonella outbreak involving peanuts from the Peanut Corp. of America…
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Peanut and Pistachio Recalls Lead FDA to Issue Tougher Food Safety Warnings
The Obama administration has reportedly issued a tough warning that it will substantially change the way government oversees food safety. According to published reports, food-handling practices that formerly would have resulted in mild warnings from FDA may now lead to wide-ranging and expensive recalls.“ The food industry needs to be on notice that FDA is…
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HHS Report Finds Source of Many Foods Untraceable
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has reportedly commissioned a study showing that one-quarter of food facilities contacted by federal health investigators were unaware of laws requiring them to trace their suppliers. Authored by HHS Inspector General Daniel Levinson, the report also found that despite federal regulations, most food manufacturers and distributors…