Tag Archives: LABELING

Former Director of the FDA’s Office of Biotechnology Pens Op-Ed Criticizing FDA Enforcement on Organic Labeling, FDA Commissioner Pledges to Look at Labeling Claims in Organics

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In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Dr. Henry Miller, the former founding director of the FDA’s Office of Biotechnology, criticizes FDA as giving organic food labeling and advertisement “a complete pass.”  The author calls out FDA’s lack of enforcement on claims that organic foods are grown “without toxic or persistent pesticides,” noting that in fact, … Continue Reading

NGOs Sue USDA Over Delay in Issuing BE Disclosure Rules

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The 2016 National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standards (NBFDS) Act directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop regulations and standards to create mandatory disclosure requirements for bioengineered (BE) foods by July 2018. The Center for Food Safety (CFS) and the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) filed a lawsuit in the Northern California U.S. District Court on August … Continue Reading

European Union’s Top Court Rules on Gene-Editing Technology

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The European Court of Justice has ruled that all techniques that induce DNA mutagenesis result in products that can be regulated as genetically modified organisms.  GMO regulation had previously been limited to products of genetic engineering where DNA from a separate organism was introduced into the target organism’s genome.  Newly developed gene editing techniques exploit … Continue Reading

FDA Begins Process of Modernizing Standards of Identity with Focus on Use of the Term “Milk” in Labeling Plant-Based Products

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Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on the process FDA is undertaking for reviewing and modernizing the agency’s standards of identity for dairy products (FDA Statement) As reported on this blog, FDA held a public meeting on July 26, 2018 to discuss the FDA’s Nutrition Innovation Strategy (NIS), which promotes public health through efforts … Continue Reading

Groups Petition FSIS to Change “Product of the USA” Policy

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The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) and American Grassfed Association (AGA) have petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to change its standard for making a “Product of the USA” claim on meat and meat products. Currently, FSIS allows the statement “Product of USA” if either (1) the country to which the product is … Continue Reading

Final Comments on USDA’s BE Labeling Rule Debate Disclosure for Highly Refined Foods and Ingredients

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The comment period on USDA’s proposed requirements to implement the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) closed on July 3. As previously reported on this blog, when USDA asked for input prior to drafting the regulation, commenters disagreed on whether highly refined ingredients derived from bioengineered (BE) crops should be disclosed. As a result, in … Continue Reading

Citizen Petition Filed Requesting FDA Allow Eggs to Be Labeled “Healthy”

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As reported previously in the Daily Intake Blog, labeling of foods as “Healthy” has recently elicited strong and varied opinions.  KIND filed a Citizen Petition in December 2015 requesting that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revisit the definition of “healthy” to take into account present-day scientific understanding about the health benefits of many nutrient-dense … Continue Reading

Front of Pack Labeling Being Discussed in NAFTA Negotiations

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As first reported by the New York Times, and later confirmed under questioning by Rep. Doggett in a House Ways and Means Committee hearing, one plank of the United State’s platform in the renegotiation of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is the limitation on member countries from requiring front of pack labeling on … Continue Reading

Colorado Rejects Latest COOL Measure

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As previously covered on this blog, mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) rules for beef products have long been the subject of controversy and challenge, culminating in: (1) a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that the COOL requirements violate U.S. trade obligations to Canada and Mexico and (2) Congress repealing COOL for beef and pork as … Continue Reading

FDA to Begin Process of Modernizing Certain Standards of Identity

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On January 11, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released its Strategic Policy Roadmap for 2018. As part of its Strategic Policy Roadmap, FDA has signaled its intent to modernize certain standards of identity to address current barriers to the development of healthier products while making sure consumers have accurate information about the foods … Continue Reading

Colorado Legislators Propose Stronger Version of COOL

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As previously covered on this blog, mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) rules for beef products have long been the subject of controversy and challenge, culminating in: (1) a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that the COOL requirements violate U.S. trade obligations to Canada and Mexico and (2) Congress repealing COOL as of December 21, 2015. … Continue Reading

GMO Labeling Law Update: CFS Drops USDA Lawsuit Regarding Consumer Study

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As previously reported on this blog, legislation requiring labeling of genetically modified (GM) foods and food ingredients was signed into law on July 29, 2016.  This law, entitled the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard, directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop regulations and standards to create mandatory disclosure requirements for bio-engineered foods by July 2018.  Under the … Continue Reading

GMO Labeling Update: Some Senators Calling for On-Package Text to disclose the presence of GM Ingredients

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As previously reported on this blog, legislation requiring labeling of genetically modified (GM) foods and food ingredients was signed into law on July 29, 2016.  This law, entitled the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard, directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop regulations and standards to create mandatory disclosure requirements for bio-engineered foods by July 2018.  Under the … Continue Reading

GM Labeling Update: Ingredient Disclosure Debate

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As previously reported on this blog, legislation requiring labeling of genetically modified (GM) foods and food ingredients was signed into law on July 29, 2016.  This law directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop regulations and standards to create mandatory disclosure requirements for bio-engineered foods by July 2018. On June 28, 2017, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) posted a … Continue Reading

Geographical Indicators Create Trade Barriers, Says Dairy Industry

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In a recent letter to Japan’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, several dairy industry associations urged Japan to respect current trade relationships with respect to geographical indicators (GIs). Noting that Japan and the European Union (EU) are in the final stages of negotiating a free trade agreement, the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), the … Continue Reading

GMO Labeling Law Update: USDA Releases Study Exploring Potential Challenges of Using Electronic and Digital Disclosures on Food Labels

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As previously reported on this blog, legislation requiring labeling of genetically modified (GM) foods and food ingredients was signed into law on July 29, 2016.  This law, entitled the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard, directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop regulations and standards to create mandatory disclosure requirements for bio-engineered foods by July 2018.  Under the … Continue Reading

FDA Delays Decision on Plant-Based Milk Labeling Petition

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As previously reported on this blog, there is an ongoing debate on whether the use of the term “milk” by manufacturers of plant-based products—such as soy milk and almond milk—is a violation of milk’s standard of identity. On one side of the debate, the dairy industry has called on FDA to crack down on the … Continue Reading

USDA-FSIS Issues Updated Guidelines for Premarket Label Approval

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The labeling of meat and poultry products primarily falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). FSIS administers the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA). Both the FMIA and the PPIA require food manufacturers to obtain prior approval for labels of … Continue Reading

FDA Will Exercise Enforcement Discretion for the Use and Labeling of “Ultrafiltered Milk” in Certain Cheeses and Cheese Products

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Mechanical filtration technologies available for milk processing include ultrafiltration.  Ultrafiltered milk (UF Milk) is milk that is mechanically filtered via semipermeable membranes to partially remove water, lactose, minerals, and water-soluble vitamins without altering the “casein to whey protein” ratio of the milk and resulting in a liquid product. FDA’s regulations specify the standards of identity … Continue Reading
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