Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg has reportedly informed Senate appropriators that the agency would extend for 120 days the comment period for two proposed rules—one relating to fresh produce and the other to food processors issued in January 2013 to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). According to Hamburg, “We appreciate that these are complex rules, the proposed rules, to go through and analyze, and we do intend to extend the comment period so that we can hear all of the concerns and address them fully, and I think it’s a reasonable request.” Hamburg also reportedly indicated that a rule requiring restaurants to post calorie information is a “high priority” for the agency, but hesitated when asked if it would be issued by October 1, at the start of the new fiscal year. See CQ Healthbeat News, April 18, 2013.

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For decades, manufacturers, distributors and retailers at every link in the food chain have come to Shook, Hardy & Bacon to partner with a legal team that understands the issues they face in today's evolving food production industry. Shook attorneys work with some of the world's largest food, beverage and agribusiness companies to establish preventative measures, conduct internal audits, develop public relations strategies, and advance tort reform initiatives.

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