Tag Archives: USDA

FDA Publishes Goals for Supporting Antimicrobial Stewardship in Veterinary Settings for Fiscal Years 2019-2023

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On July 31, 2018, FDA announced that it was working on a five-year blueprint to combat antimicrobial resistance in animals.  On September 14, 2018, FDA published Supporting Antimicrobial Stewardship in Veterinary Settings: Goals for Fiscal Years 2019-2023. FDA provides action items to promote three goals; we summarize several major steps for each; Align Antimicrobial Drug … Continue Reading

USDA and FDA Announce Joint Meeting on Animal Cell Culture Technology

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Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that they will hold a joint meeting on October 23-24, 2018, to discuss the use of cell culture technology to develop products derived from livestock and poultry. As we previously reported on this blog, FDA held a public meeting on … Continue Reading

USDA Bioengineered Food Labeling Final Rule Sent to OMB for Review

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In a sign of progress, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) received the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) final rule for the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) on August 31, 2018 – less than two months after the comment period closed on the proposed rule for the NBFDS on July 3, 2018. As … Continue Reading

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

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

Trade Dispute with China Worries Agriculture; USDA Vows Support

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 The U.S. agricultural industry has voiced concerns about potential financial losses due to the ongoing trade dispute with China, notwithstanding U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s assurance last April that farmers will be protected. By way of background, on June 15, President Trump announced that the U.S. will impose a 25% tariff on $50 billion in … Continue Reading

Senate Released Bipartisan Draft of Farm Bill

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As previously reported on this blog, in March 2018, House Agricultural Committee Chairman Michael Conway delayed the release of the draft law renewing farm and nutrition programs due to opposition to cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP offers nutrition assistance to more than 47 million eligible, low-income individuals and families, and is … Continue Reading

FDA and USDA Announce Collaborative Effort to Align Produce Safety Requirements

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On June 5, 2018, FDA and USDA announced a new collaborative effort to streamline produce safety requirements for farmers by aligning the USDA Harmonized Good Agricultural Practices Audit Program (USDA H-GAP) with the requirements of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act’s (FSMA’s) Produce Safety Rule. This effort follows the signing of a formal agreement in … Continue Reading

USDA Issues Guidelines Regarding Livestock Slaughter and Processing Inspection Exemptions

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On May 24, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a guideline: FSIS Guideline for Determining Whether a Livestock Slaughter or Processing Firm is Exempt from the Inspection Requirements of the Federal Meat Inspection Act.  Absent an exemption, all establishments where cattle, goat, swine, or sheep are slaughtered … Continue Reading

U.S. House Representatives Work with USDA to Address Food Waste

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As previously covered on this blog, food waste is a major issue in the United States.  Government estimates indicate that Americans waste between 30 and 40% of the overall food supply on an annual basis.  According to the USDA, consumers are responsible for nearly 90 billion pounds of food waste each year, which equates to … Continue Reading

FDA Confirms Extension of Compliance Dates for Nutrition Labeling and Serving Size Rules; USDA Proposes National Bioengineered (BE) Food Disclosure Rules

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FDA Confirms Extension of Compliance Dates for Nutrition Labeling and Serving Size Rules In the Federal Register for May 4, 2018, FDA issued a final rule that confirms the extension of the compliance dates for two labeling rules from July 26, 2018 to January 1, 2020 for manufacturers with $10 million or more in annual … Continue Reading

Food Policy Summary

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In the last week there have been a number of interesting developments in food policy.  Each is in early development, but worthy of a brief note. President Trump, in a meeting regarding Chinese tariffs with Republican lawmakers from agricultural states, indicated a willingness to reconsider participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), perhaps as a means … Continue Reading

More on Tariff Dispute with China: USDA Secretary Says Farmers Will be Protected

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The U.S. will protect its farmers during rising trade tensions between the U.S. and China, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association yesterday (see Reuters). This follows a statement from USDA last week stating that it was looking for ways to shield farmers from the conflict between China and the U.S. … Continue Reading

Organic Products Can Still Use Carrageenan

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The United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS) administers the National Organic Program (NOP) under the authority of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (NOP), as amended (7 U.S.C. 6501-6524).  The regulations implementing the NOP (7 CFR Part 205) includes the National List of synthetic substances that may be used and … Continue Reading

FDA Guidance States Live Animals Processed Under USDA Regulations Do Not Need to Comply with FSVP Regulations

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On March 21, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published guidance that live animals processed under Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations do not need to comply with Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) requirements. In general, live animals imported for use as food are regulated by FDA. However, they are required to be slaughtered … Continue Reading

Additional SNAP Requirements Endanger the Future of the Farm Bill

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House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conway has delayed the release of a draft law renewing farm and nutrition programs due to opposition to cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also colloquially known as the “Food Stamps” Program. SNAP offers nutrition assistance to more than 47 million eligible, low-income individuals and families, and is … Continue Reading

USDA Withdraws Organic Livestock and Poultry Practice (OLPP) Final Rule

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As previously reported on this blog, USDA published the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices (OLPP) final rule on January 19, 2017. The rule established minimum indoor and outdoor space requirements for chickens based on the type of production and stage of life, as well as added new provisions for livestock handling and transport for slaughter. … Continue Reading
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