The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology has released a report to the president and Congress assessing the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), “which coordinates Federal research and development activities involving the manipulation of matter at scales smaller than 100 billionths of [a] meter.” The third in a decade-long series of assessments, the report lauds the NNI for making the United States a nanotechnology leader but notes that aggressive competitors “such as China, South Korea, and the European Union,” pose a threat to that leadership position. The report makes a number of recommendations, including increased investment in product commercialization and technology transfer and a strengthened commitment to “explore in more orderly fashion environmental, health, and safety issues.” Noting the role that nanotechnology plays in consumer products, including foods, the report also envisions how it can be used in information technology, health care, the development of high-strength materials, energy and…
Category Archives Legislation, Regulations and Standards
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Bee Research Laboratory has released the preliminary results of a survey estimating that honeybee colony losses nationwide “were approximately 29 percent from all causes from September 2008 to April 2009,” touching off speculation about the fate of the ubiquitous pollinator. Federal investigators reported that only 15 percent of all colonies lost during the 2008/09 winter apparently died of colony collapse disorder (CCD), leading USDA to emphasize “the urgent need for research” on general honeybee health. “It’s just gotten so much worse in the past four years,” USDA Research Leader Jeff Pettis was quoted as saying. “We’re just not keeping bees alive that long.” According to media sources, apiary experts have blamed the honeybee die-off on a combination of viruses, bacteria and pesticide residues. In particular, beekeepers have cited a March 19, 2010, study published in PLoS One that reportedly identified at least one systemic pesticide…
Cal/EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has scheduled an April 20, 2010, public forum on its proposal to list bisphenol A (BPA) as a reproductive toxin under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Prop. 65). The action was taken in response to a request for a public forum to present oral comments. OEHHA has also decided, in response to a request, to extend the written comment period on the proposal until May 13, 2010. Prop. 65 requires that businesses provide “clear and reasonable” warnings for exposures to listed chemicals before exposure and prohibits their discharge into drinking water sources. OEHHA has also announced that it will conduct an informal public workshop on April 14 to discuss proposed amendments to regulations that “set out the procedures and criteria for determining an exposure level where there would be no observable effect.” Under Prop. 65, warnings are…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced an April 7, 2010, public meeting to discuss draft U.S. positions for the 38th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labeling (CCFL) slated for May 3-7, 2010, in Quebec City, Canada. Issues to be discussed include (i) “Labeling Provisions in Draft Codex Standards”; (ii) “Implementation of the WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity, and Health,” which includes consideration of the “List of Nutrients That Are Always Declared on a Voluntary or Mandatory Basis,” and the legibility and readability of nutrition labeling; (iii) “Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labeling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods”; (iv) “Labeling of Foods and Food Ingredients Obtained through Certain Techniques of Genetic Modification/ Genetic Engineering”; and (v) “Discussion Paper on the Need to Amend the General Standard for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods in Line with the International Organization of…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a proposed rule designed to enhance the safety of meat and poultry products. The proposal would require that regulated establishments (i) promptly notify FSIS if any unsafe, unwholesome or “misbranded meat or poultry product has entered commerce”; (ii) “prepare and maintain current procedures for the recall of meat and poultry products produced and shipped by the establishment”; and (iii) “document each reassessment of the establishment’s process control plans, that is, its Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point plans.” According to a March 25, 2010, Federal Register notice, the proposed rule is needed because (i) “FSIS believes that prompt notification that adulterated or misbranded product has entered commerce is an important prerequisite for effective action to prevent such product from causing harm”; (ii) “having established procedures will help establishments to conduct effective and efficient recalls, should it be…
During a U.S. Department of Agriculture-sponsored food safety education conference in Atlanta this week, government, industry and academic speakers addressed a range of issues, including the causes of food borne illness, data collection and analysis, consumer behavior, food recalls, and foodservice workforce training. Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), spoke during the March 23-26, 2010, event to explain that nearly half the states do a poor job of tracking outbreaks. Contending that better local and state reporting of foodborne illness outbreaks could hasten life-saving food recalls, Smith DeWaal apparently called for support of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, currently pending in the Senate, which would require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to improve the coordination of federal, state and local surveillance systems. The measure, already approved in the House, would also reportedly establish a national testing-laboratory network, improve the…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) has published a March 2010 audit report recommending several improvements to the National Organic Program (NOP) administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). “We conducted the audit because of the size and growth of the organic industry as well as the public’s increased interest in purchasing organic products,” stated the report, which faulted NOP for failing to enforce program requirements when “serious violations” occurred and for lax implementation of certification standards. In particular, OIG found that the program (i) did not resolve 19 of 41 complaints “within a reasonable timeframe”; (ii) needs to address ongoing compliance and enforcement issues with California’s State Organic Program; (iii) did not implement periodic pesticide residue testing as required by the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA); (iv) did not assemble a peer review panel “to annually evaluate their accreditation process”; (v) did not…
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a “Toxicological Review of Acrylamide” in support of information on its Integrated Risk Information System. The chemical, which is formed during the high-temperature heating of starchy foods, is also used in a number of industrial processes and in adhesives and grouts. According to the agency, many laboratory animal studies have indicated degenerative peripheral nerve changes from repeated oral exposures as well as impaired male reproductive performance and genetic damage. The review also notes that the agency characterizes the chemical as “likely to be carcinogenic to humans” on the basis of dermal and drinking-water exposure in rats. According to the review, occupational exposure studies “are sufficient to firmly establish neurological impairment as a potential health hazard from inhalation and dermal exposure.”
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued a report criticizing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its handling of irradiated food products. In response to congressional inquiries, GAO examined current and proposed FDA labeling requirements for irradiated foods, as well as “the extent to which FDA has effectively managed the petition review process for irradiated food.” Despite efforts to bolster public acceptance of irradiated products, FDA “has not effectively managed its petition review process, which is the vehicle to potentially allow more food products to be irradiated,” according to GAO. The report describes ionizing radiation as a safe and effective process capable of eliminating “99.999 percent of E. coli 0157, Listeria and Campylobacter,” but notes that the current labeling scheme may suggest “these foods are less safe.” It also censures FDA’s failure to meet “key statutory and regulatory timeframes” for six currently active and pending food irradiation petitions.…
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has reportedly revised Health Code Article 16 to allow residents to keep Apis mellifera hives within the city limits. Previously outlawed as too dangerous or venomous for urban life, the common honeybee is currently cultivated by hundreds of clandestine city beekeepers, many of whom quietly flaunted the prohibition. “People fear that if there’s a beehive on their rooftop, they’ll be stung,” one spokesperson for the New York City Beekeepers Association told the media. “Honeybees are interested in water, pollen and nectar. The real danger is the skewed public perception of the danger of honeybees.” In light of this evidence, the health board revisited the ban, which once imposed fines of up to $2,000 per citation and reinforced fears of sting-related litigation. The new regulations require beekeepers to register their hives with the city, but do not compel them to carry…
