The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued an August 2, 2010, report urging member states to increase their monitoring of furan, a compound with aromatic properties that can form in a variety of heat-treated commercial foods and which has purportedly been shown to be carcinogenic in animal experiments. EFSA intends to use the report to support a dietary risk assessment on furan. It updates data submitted by 18 member states on furan levels in 4,186 foods sampled and analyzed between 2004 and 2009, with 8 percent of the samples reported as foods consumed. The report sorted data into 21 different food categories (five coffee and 16 noncoffee categories), with the highest levels of furan found in the five coffee categories compared to other food groups. The highest non-coffee maximum concentrations were found in the “baby food” and “soups” categories. “ Jarred baby food and infant formula are of particular…
Category Archives Legislation, Regulations and Standards
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the availability of a draft compliance policy guide for FDA staff that provides direction on Salmonella in animal feed or feed ingredients that come into direct contact with people, such as pet food and treats, or that are “contaminated with a Salmonella serotype that is pathogenic to the target animal for which the animal feed is intended.” The guide “proposes criteria that should be considered in recommending enforcement action against animal feed or feed ingredients that are adulterated due to the presence of Salmonella.” FDA will accept comments until November 1, 2010. See Federal Register, August 2, 2010.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg has released statements to support the reopening of Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi state waters to commercial fishing. According to Hamburg, “we are confident all appropriate steps have been taken to ensure that seafood harvested from waters being opened today is safe and that Gulf seafood lovers everywhere can be confident eating and enjoying the fish that will be coming out of this area.” Meanwhile, some are questioning whether inspector sniff tests are sufficient to ensure the safety of seafood from Gulf of Mexico waters. Experts reportedly say that the smell tests are an efficient and inexpensive way to test for fish safety and claim they are currently the only way to test fish for chemical dispersants. At least one oysterman and shrimp and crab fisherman was not convinced, saying, “If I put fish in a barrel and poured oil and Dove detergent…
Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) has introduced a bill (H.R. 6024) that would require stricter testing procedures designed to eradicate “the dangerous Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria” from meat and meat-processing facilities. The E. coli Traceability and Eradication Act would also establish a tracking procedure to enable the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement faster recalls. According to a DeLauro press statement, the proposal would require meat, slaughterhouse and grinding facilities to have ground beef and “beef trim” tested multiple times throughout the manufacturing process by an independent USDA-certified testing facility. In the event E. coli were detected, the bill would require the slaughter facility to immediately report contamination to USDA. The agency would then test the facility’s products for 15 consecutive days following the positive test and establish a “traceback procedure” to the original source of contamination for quicker product recalls and illness prevention. “By the end of this year, an estimated…
U.S. Representative Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) has requested that the Kellogg Co. provide documentation to the Committee on Energy and Commerce concerning the possible contamination of millions of cereal boxes with the chemical 2-methylnaphthalene. In his August 2, 2010, letter, Waxman refers to the June recall of more than 25 million boxes of “Corn Pops, Honey Smacks, Fruit Loops, and Apple Jacks cereal” and notes that while at least one study has shown the chemical at issue “may cause lung injuries in adults[, t]here are no studies indicating whether children are more susceptible.” Waxman cites a news article indicating that Kellogg destroyed tainted packaging before issuing the recall, and he seeks documents relating to (i) the company’s food safety policies and procedures; (ii) “any assessments of the health risks posed by 2-methylnaphthalene conducted by, commissioned by, or requested by your company, including a copy of the health risk assessment created by…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has solicited feedback on a proposed information collection related to the Pet Event Tracking Network (PETNet). PETNet would allow state and federal regulators “to quickly and effectively exchange information about outbreaks of illness in companion animals associated with pet food.” FDA has envisioned the voluntary system as a “secure, Internet-based network” that would provide a platform for members to receive and create alerts about pet food incidents. According to the agency, “The information will be used to help State and Federal regulators determine how best to use inspectional and other resources to either prevent or quickly limit the adverse events caused by adulterated pet food.” FDA has anticipated that each participating state would report via PETNet approximately 10 times per year. “[G]iven that the form only has 11 items and most are drop down fields, 20 minutes is a sufficient amount of time to…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a notice specifying the terms and conditions for voluntary compliance with section 4205 of the Affordable Care Act of 2010, which established nutritional labeling requirements for chain restaurants with more than 20 locations and vending machine operators with more than 20 machines. Other retailers not covered by section 4205 can elect to become subject to the federal law by registering biannually with FDA. Restaurants and similar establishments that voluntarily opt in “will no longer be subject to State or local nutritional labeling requirements unless those requirements are identical to Federal requirements,” according to the agency. Vending machine operators are already covered by state and local regulations identical to federal requirements, although Congress has “expressly provided” that they may still undertake voluntary registration. The agency will accept comments until October 21, 2010. See Federal Register, July 23, 2010.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking under the Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act of 2002, soliciting feedback on the list of select agents and toxins that could pose “a severe threat to animal or plant health, or to animal or plant products.” APHIS has requested suggestions regarding (i) “any addition or reduction of the animal or plant pathogens currently on the list of select agents,” and (ii) potential reorganization of the list “based on the relative potential of each select agent or toxin to be misused to adversely affect human, plant or animal health.” According to APHIS, “Such tiering of the list could allow for the application o different security measures for those selected agents or toxins which post a higher risk to animal or plant health if they were to be stolen or otherwise misused.” Backed by…
During a recent Senate committee hearing on consumer privacy, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Jon Leibowitz described “aggressive” efforts the agency has undertaken to protect children’s online privacy. He referred to actions taken over the past decade against website operators that collected information from children without parental consent, as required by federal law. Among the companies that agreed to pay fines and change their practices were Hershey Foods Corp., Mrs. Fields Famous Brands, Inc. and American Pop Corn Co., which allegedly failed to comply with the law when engaging children in online games and birthday-related activities. Leibowitz also noted that FTC plans to release a report later this year reflecting input from a number of stakeholder roundtables on privacy protection in an environment of new technologies and business models. According to Leibowitz, the commission is now conducting a comprehensive review of its parental notice rule “in light of changing technology,…
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has introduced legislation that would give federal prosecutors the authority to seek prison sentences up to 10 years for those who “knowingly place contaminated food products into the nation’s food supply.” Explaining his reason for introducing the Food Safety Enhancement Act (S.3669), the senator referred to the Salmonella contamination of peanut products in 2008 involving the Peanut Corp. of America; the outbreak purportedly “left nine people dead and sickened hundreds more.” According to a press statement, Leahy said, “The bill I introduce today would increase sentences for people who put profits above safety by knowingly contaminating the food supply. It makes such offenses felony violations and significantly increases the chances that those who commit them will face jail time, rather than a slap on the wrist, for their criminal conduct.” See Office of Senator Leahy Press Release, July 29, 2010.
