The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization will hold expert and stakeholder meetings to discuss bisphenol A (BPA) on November 1-5, 2010, in Ottawa, Canada. Supported by the European Food Safety Authority, Health Canada, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the November 2-5 expert meeting will address the toxicological and health aspects of BPA, assess its safety, and consider alternatives to the ubiquitous plasticizer. The November 1 stakeholder meeting will provide an opportunity for interested parties to present their views on specific questions, which will also be considered during the expert session. The main topics slated for discussion include (i) “General chemistry of BPA and analytical methods for detection in food”; (ii) “Occurrence of BPA in the diet, including studies on migration of BPA from food contact material”; (iii) “Metabolism and toxicokinetic studies of BPA”; (iv) “Toxicity of BPA…
Category Archives Legislation, Regulations and Standards
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the National Science Foundation Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing (CHN) have announced a partnership to help companies identify and address potential health and safety concerns related to nanotechnology. NIOSH and CHN—a collaboration of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Northeastern University and the University of New Hampshire—will provide onsite evaluations and recommend solutions to small- to medium-sized companies and research laboratories across the country. “There is an intense demand from industry to evaluate nanomaterial exposures and develop appropriate control strategies, practices, guidelines and medical surveillance,” stated CHN’s manager of environmental health and safety in a September 22, 2010, NIOSH press release. “Our team has conducted innovative research on nanomaterial toxicology, exposure and control that will help companies develop strategies to protect workers from the potential health effects of nanomaterials, thus paving the way for the commercialization of nano products.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced an October 13, 2010, public meeting in College Park, Maryland, to provide information and receive public comments on draft U.S. positions to be discussed at the 32nd Session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) on November 1-5 in Santiago, Chile. The meeting will address a discussion paper on the “Inclusion of New Part B for Underweight Children in the Standard for Processed Cereal-Based Foods for Infants and Young Children.” Other agenda items will include (i) proposed revision of “Codex General Principles for the Addition of Essential Nutrients to Foods”, (ii) proposed revision to the “Guidelines on Formulated Supplementary Foods for Older Infants and Young Children”, and (iii) “Proposed Draft Nutrient Reference Values for Nutrients Associated with Risk of Diet-Related Noncommunicable Diseases for General Population.” See Federal Register, October 1, 2010. FSIS…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has published a notice announcing the availability of its biotechnology compliance assistance program audit standard. The document “will be used by participating regulated entities to develop and implement sound management practices, thus enhancing compliance with the regulatory requirements for field trials and movement of genetically engineered [GE] organisms in 7 CFR part 340.” APHIS developed a voluntary quality management assistance program to help regulated entities improve their management of domestic GE organism research and development. The new audit standard “provides criteria for the development, implementation, and objective evaluation of the entity’s [program].” See Federal Register, October 5, 2010.
According to counsel for a company that makes dietary supplements containing selenium, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to allow the company to make qualified health claims for the products that include brief disclaimers. The company will apparently be able to label its products with claims that selenium “may reduce the risk” of prostate, colon, bladder, and thyroid cancers as long as it includes the following: “Scientific evidence concerning this claim is inconclusive. Based on its review, FDA does not agree that selenium may reduce the risk of these cancers.” The negotiations that led to the breakthrough reportedly followed a federal district court ruling in May that FDA violated First Amendment commercial speech standards by censoring specific qualified health claims for the company’s products and requiring the use of a lengthy contradictory qualification. The parties are apparently continuing to discuss disagreements over the effect of selenium on other…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a report titled “Advancing Regulatory Science for Public Health,” that outlines the agency’s plan to develop new scientific and technological tools, standards and approaches to improve its ability to assess the safety, efficacy, quality, and performance of FDA-regulated products, including foods and tobacco. FDA expects to use President Barack Obama’s $25 million increased budget request for fiscal year 2011 to expand the initiative and “build additional partnerships with academia, industry and government around the country.” According to a news source, FDA’s budget has been frozen under a continuing resolution Congress passed before taking its latest recess. A new office dedicated to regulatory science will be created, and the initiative’s goals include protecting the food supply by focusing on “the development of more rapid and practical methods for detecting microbial pathogens in food and equipping FDA’s labs to test multiple food samples for…
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has determined that its “Green Guides,” which “help marketers avoid making deceptive claims by outlining general principles that apply to all environmental marketing claims,” should be retained and updated. Initially developed in 1992 and last revised in 1998, the guides also provide information about how “reasonable consumers are likely to interpret particular claims, how marketers can substantiate them, and how they can qualify those claims to avoid consumer deception.” The proposed changes include new guidance on the “use of product certifications and seals of approval, ‘renewable energy’ claims, ‘renewable materials’ claims, and ‘carbon offset’ claims.” They do not address use of the terms “sustainable,” “natural” and “organic.” Public comments are requested by December 10, 2010. FTC Chair Jon Leibowitz was quoted as saying, “In recent years, businesses have increasingly used ‘green’ marketing to capture consumers’ attention and move Americans toward a more environmentally friendly future.…
A World Trade Organization (WTO) panel has determined that the United States has violated its trade obligations by refusing to allow Chinese chicken parts into the U.S. market, an action that was apparently taken in a 2009 federal spending bill that denied the use of any U.S. Department of Agriculture funding to establish or implement any measure that would allow the importation. The law extended a five-year U.S. ban on Chinese chicken that was imposed during a bird flu outbreak. While the WTO can sanction countries that violate trade rules, this could take several years because the United States has the option to appeal the verdict. According to a news source, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has indicated that the restrictions were temporary and are due to expire soon. See USA Today, September 29, 2010.
North Carolina has reportedly become the most recent state to adopt a definition for “pure honey” that beekeepers hope will get fake honey off the market. Because Americans consume some 350 million pounds of honey annually, but domestic producers produce just 150 million pounds, there is apparently a financial incentive for importers and others to sell honey cut with additives such as corn syrup. Other states that currently regulate honey include California, Florida and Wisconsin. While the Food and Drug Administration has undertaken efforts to stop the sale of chemically contaminated honey, the agency is also reportedly considering a petition seeking to establish a national standard. See USA Today, September 25, 2010.
The Florida Board of Education is reportedly considering a ban on chocolate milk and sugary beverages in the state’s public schools. Board members evidently tabled the issue last spring in anticipation of federal government action, but recently decided to move forward to hear opinions from physicians and researchers on whether such a ban would improve children’s health. Hearings will be held over the next two months, with possible legislation coming in December. “When you think about it, we probably have a million overweight or obese children in our schools,” board member John Padget was quoted as saying. “I think the clock is ticking in terms of personal health.” Board member Susan Story reportedly wants the board to consider a possible ban on other foods sold in schools, including chips and ice cream. “To me, it’s a bigger issue that needs to be looked at and not a chocolate milk-versus-white milk…
