According to a news source, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted permission for slaughterhouses in New Mexico and Iowa to convert their facilities into horse-processing plants, the first such facilities to be licensed since Congress banned the practice seven years ago. Other applications for horse-processing plants are reportedly being considered in Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Before horse slaughter can begin, however, plants must be inspected by USDA inspectors who have reportedly not yet been hired. “This is very far from over,” an attorney for the New Mexico plant was quoted as saying. “The company is going to plan to begin operating in July. But with the potential lawsuits and the USDA—they have been dragging their feet for a year—so to now believe they are going to start supplying inspectors, we’re not going to hold our breath.” See The Associated Press, June 28, 2013; Emporiagazette.com, July 11, 2013.
Category Archives Issue 490
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a final rule amending 21 C.F.R. 175.300 to reflect the industry’s abandonment of bisphenol A (BPA)- based epoxy resins as coatings in infant formula packaging. As of July 12, 2013, the food additive regulations will no longer provide for this use of BPA. According to FDA, its action followed Rep. Edward Markey’s (D-Mass.) petition asserting that industry had stopped using BPA in infant formula packaging; the action “is not “related to the safety of BPA.” See FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition—Constituent Update, July 11, 2013.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed “an ‘action level’ of 10 parts per billion (ppb) for inorganic arsenic in apple juice,” the same level established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water. According to a July 12, 2013, press release, FDA set this threshold based on its latest analysis of organic and inorganic arsenic in apple juice as part of its draft guidance to industry. “The FDA is committed to ensuring the safety of the American food supply and to doing what is necessary to protect public health,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. “We have been studying this issue comprehensively, and based on the agency’s data and analytical work, the FDA is confident in the overall safety of apple juice for children and adults.” The agency will accept comments on the proposed action level and draft guidance for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.…
