Tag: food safety
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FSIS Seeks Members for National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has published a notice soliciting nominations for membership on a national advisory committee that addresses meat and poultry inspection issues. Names and curriculum vitae must be postmarked no later than January 23, 2009. FSIS is seeking a diverse membership drawn from industry, academia, state and local government officials, public…
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HHS/FDA Food and Drug Safety Office Opens in Costa Rica
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach traveled to Costa Rica this week to open an HHS/FDA office that will serve Latin America in the hope of improving collaboration on food and product safety issues. Plans for the new office were apparently launched in June 2008, when health ministers…
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China Publishes Official List of Banned Food Additives
The Chinese government has reportedly published its first official list of food additives that are prohibited in the domestic food supply. The list includes 17 acids, chemicals and other substances–such as formaldehyde, boric acid and sodium thiocyanate–used to improve the appearance, texture or longevity of food products. In addition, the country’s regulators have warned of…
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Report Calls on Agencies to Better Coordinate Oversight of GE Crops
The GAO, which serves as the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, has released a report that analyzes federal oversight of genetically engineered (GE) crops and recommends steps the agencies could take to better address the unauthorized release of these crops into food, animal feed or the environment. Titled Genetically Engineered Crops: Agencies Are Proposing Changes…
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GAO Launches New Web Page to Highlight Food Safety Priorities
GAO has launched a new “Urgent Issues” Web page that outlines food safety priorities and possible government actions to secure the national food supply. According to GAO, “the fragmented nature of the federal food oversight system undermines the government’s ability to (i) plan more strategically to inspect food product process, (ii) identify and react more…
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FDA Issues One-Year Progress Report on Food Protection Plan
FDA this week released a progress report on the Food Protection Plan launched in November 2007 to address “both food safety and food defense for domestic and imported products.” The report states that federal regulators are “working collaboratively across the agency to implement the three-core elements of protection: prevention, intervention and response.” It particularly notes…
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Class-Action Lawsuit to Be Filed in China Against Dairy Company for Melamine Contamination
With more than 54,000 Chinese children sickened by the melamine contamination of milk and infant formula products in recent months and the government stalling over compensation of their families, some 15 lawyers have reportedly decided to file the claims of nearly 100 families in a single lawsuit against the Shijiazhuang Sanlu Group Co. The lawyers…
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China Arrests Feed Producer Implicated in Melamine Contamination
The Chinese government has reportedly arrested the owner of a poultry feed operation implicated in a nationwide scandal involving melamine-tainted animal products. The manufacturer apparently confessed to using the industrial chemical in 212 tons of chicken feed sold to Dalian Hanovo Enterprise Group, which then distributed adulterated eggs to Chinese consumers. The government also destroyed an…