California EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has withdrawn its proposal to establish a “safe harbor level” under Proposition 65 (Prop. 65) for fumonisin B1, a substance produced by several mold species that occur mostly in corn, wheat and other cereals. The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) objected to the agency’s use of an expedited procedure. According to OEHHA’s notice, “[t]o evaluate the need for a conventional risk assessment, OEHHA would have to conduct a detailed review of the data submitted by GMA along with other relevant information that may be identified through an extensive literature search.” Because OEHHA would have been unable to timely complete its rulemaking process, it withdrew “its proposal to establish a specific level posing no significant risk using expedited methodology for fumonisin B1. “
Category Archives Legislation, Regulations and Standards
Members of European Parliament (MEPs) have apparently voted in favor of draft legislation that would require listing energy, fat, saturated fat, sugar, and salt content on the front of food packages. Doing so, they rejected a traffic light system that sought to further emphasize the levels of salt, sugar and fat in processed foods, and opposed parallel schemes run by national regulators. According to a June 14-17, 2010, plenary session report, MEPs approved mandatory front-of-pack (FOP) nutritional information accompanied by guideline daily amounts “expressed with per 100g or per 100ml values.” They also supported (i) stating the amount of protein, fiber and trans fats “elsewhere on the packaging”; (ii) extending country-of-origin labeling regulations to all meat, poultry, dairy, and other single-ingredient products; (iii) labeling meat slaughtered without stunning; (iv) specifying country of origin for “meat, poultry and fish when used as an ingredient in processed food”; and (v) retaining the…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has called for comment on “the information collection provisions of FDA’s regulations for submission of petitions, including food and color additive petitions (including labeling) and generally recognized as safe (GRAS) affirmations.” As required by the Office of Management and Budget, the agency has invited comments on the following: (i) “Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of FDA’s functions, including whether the information will have practical utility”; (ii) “the accuracy of FDA’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used”; (iii) “ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected”; and (iv) “ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques, when appropriate, and other forms of information technology.” FDA has also…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have announced joint efforts to secure the safety of Gulf of Mexico seafood in the wake of the April 20, 2010, oil spill. “It is important to coordinate seafood surveillance efforts on the water, at the docks and at seafood processors to ensure seafood in the market is safe to eat,” FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in a joint press release. The agencies plan a “multi-pronged approach” that includes precautionary closures of fishing areas, increased seafood testing inspections and a “re-opening protocol” for affected Gulf waters. NOAA has apparently created a “seafood sampling and inspection plan” and is using “ongoing surveillance to evaluate new seafood samples to determine whether contamination is present” outside closed fishing areas. If the samples have elevated levels of oil compounds, NOAA said it will consider expanding the closed areas. FDA, which…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced two public meetings for stakeholders to offer input on a new framework for animal disease traceability. Specific details for a proposed animal disease traceability rule will be discussed on June 24, 2010, in Salt Lake City, Utah, and July 1 in Fort Worth, Texas. Written comments will be accepted until July 30, 2010. Additional meetings will be announced in a future Federal Register notice. See Federal Register, June 14, 2010.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organics Program (NOP) has announced a settlement agreement with one of the nation’s leading organic certifiers, which had allegedly allowed inspections of Chinese organic food operations by auditors with a conflict of interest. Under the agreement, Nebraska-based Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) will be prohibited from certifying organic operations in China for one year and can be approved for re-accreditation as a certifying agent in China only if it hires inspectors with no connection to governmental or quasi-governmental entities. According to a press report, OCIA allowed government-affiliated inspectors to inspect farms operated on government-owned land and failed to properly oversee the inspectors’ activities. NOP apparently discovered the conflict during an August 2007 onsite OCIA audit and proposed revoking OCIA’s accreditation in China in July 2008. The agreement does not affect OCIA’s accreditation as an organic certifier in the United States, Canada and Latin America.…
The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has released its recommendations to the secretaries of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), outlining proposed changes to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This report recommends 2010 guideline revisions that will implement “a lifestyle approach including a total diet that is energy balanced and nutrient dense.” Recognizing that Americans, a majority of whom are obese or overweight, eat too few vegetables, fruits, high-fiber whole grains, low-fat milk and milk products, and seafood, while consuming too many added sugars, solid fats, refined grains, and sodium, the advisory committee endorses a shift to healthful patterns of eating, such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension and certain Mediterranean-style diets. The committee also recommends a coordinated strategic plan to improve the overall food environment that “includes all sectors of society, including individuals, families, educators, communities, physicians and allied health professionals, public health…
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has announced a July 9, 2010, webinar to provide an overview of the current draft of an Organization for Standardization (ISO) document titled “Guidance on the labeling of manufactured nano-objects and products containing manufactured nano-objects.” According to ANSI, “this nano-labeling document will likely have broad implications for a number of U.S. industry sectors, including food safety/industry, cosmetics and chemicals.” The draft ISO guidance document is expected to be distributed for a vote by June 18 to national advisory groups participating in the development of international nanotechnology standards. The ANSI-accredited technical advisory group (TAG) that represents U.S. positions before ISO is interested in comments on the draft to develop the U.S. position and vote. Internet reservations are required to participate in the webinar. ISO standards and technical materials, developed on an international level, often form the basis for national regulations. They are developed by stakeholders…
California EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) recently announced that it is withdrawing a regulatory proposal to amend several provisions of the Proposition 65 (Prop. 65) implementing regulations that establish procedures for calculating “safe harbor” levels for listed chemicals. The public comment period on the proposal closed May 28, 2010. According to OEHHA, “significant changes will be made to the proposal,” thus it is being withdrawn. Chemicals on the Prop. 65 list are those known to the state to cause cancer or pose reproductive health risks. Manufacturers of products containing these chemicals must provide notice to consumers or risk the imposition of penalties.
The United Kingdom’s environmental secretary has reportedly endorsed genetically modified (GM) crops, making the current Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs the most supportive of GM crops to date. In contrast to the previous government’s unwillingness to back what some apparently fear are “Frankenstein foods,” Secretary Caroline Spelman told a news source that she was in favor of GM foods “in the right circumstances.” Modifying plant genes could reduce the amount of chemicals needed to raise food crops, she said. “GM can bring benefits in food to the marketplace,” Spelman was quoted as saying. “There are benefits to developing countries, like drought resistance or resistance to high salt content in water. The principle of GM technology is [OK] if used well. The technology can be beneficial.” See The Guardian, June 4, 2010.
