The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued "Imported Seafood Safety: FDA Should Improve Monitoring of Its Warning Letter Process and Better Assess Its Effectiveness," finding that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was inconsistent in following key procedures and meeting goals for monitoring the importation of seafood. The report's recommendation is that FDA "(1) establish a process to monitor whether the agency is following the procedures and meeting the goals established for its warning letter process for imported seafood, and (2) develop performance goals and measures to assess how effective warning letters are at ensuring the safety of imported seafood."
Category Archives U.S. Government and Regulatory Agencies
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) have reintroduced legislation that would "ensure that kombucha beverages are exempt from excise taxes and regulations intended specifically for beer and other alcoholic beverages," according to a press release. The KOMBUCHA Act would increase the alcohol-by-volume level at which alcohol taxes would be applied to kombucha, "a nonintoxicating beverage made from a combination of tea, water, and a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast," to 1.25% rather than the existing standard of 0.5%. "This amount of alcohol in kombucha is usually less than 0.5 percent alcohol, but because of the natural process of fermentation, the alcohol content may occasionally increase slightly, especially during transport or handling by third parties," the press release states. "Today, under the Internal Revenue Code, beverages with more than 0.5 percent alcohol-by-volume are subject to excise taxes intended for beer. But the reality is, consumers do…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced an investigation into Real Water alkaline water, which is allegedly the link between several cases of acute non-viral hepatitis. The investigation comes amid the filing of several lawsuits alleging harm to consumers of the water, including children. The agency announced that Real Water was not cooperating with the investigation because it failed to provide records or access to facilities. “The FDA is committed to protecting the health of Americans and is especially concerned when there is a food safety issue impacting our youngest, and some of the most vulnerable in the population – infants and young children," a press release stated. "Upon learning about reports of acute non-viral hepatitis in Nevada, impacting five young children, the FDA quickly activated a team to further investigate. We are working closely with the CDC, state and local partners to complete our investigation and monitor…
U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) have introduced the Baby Food Safety Act of 2021, which aims to "require manufacturers of infant and toddler food to implement preventive controls to comply with performance standards under Section 104 of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)." The act would establish action levels for heavy metals in infant and toddler foods at 10 parts per billion (ppb) of inorganic arsenic, 5 ppb cadmium, 5 ppb lead and 2 ppb mercury, effective one year after enactment. The act would also require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to regularly review the regulatory limits and provide reports to Congress summarizing progress on the issue.
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) have reintroduced the Safe Line Speeds During COVID-19 Act "to protect worker, consumer, and animal safety by suspending all current and future [U.S. Department of Agriculture] waivers and regulations that allow companies to increase production line speeds at meatpacking plants during the COVID-19 pandemic," according to a press release. The act would suspend all speed waivers for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration as well as suspending implementation of the New Swine Slaughter Inspection System. “The ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks at meat plants over the last year have raised serious questions about the safety conditions inside these plants," DeLauro is quoted as saying. "Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, these workers experienced injuries at a higher rate than comparable occupations. And now, faster line speeds make it impossible for workers to practice social distancing and…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced public meetings to discuss U.S. positions for Codex Alimentarius Commission sessions on food contaminants and additives. The contaminants meeting will be held April 12, 2021, and will address issues such as maximum levels of cadmium in chocolate, levels of lead in multiple food categories, radioactivity in water, methylmercury in fish and aflatoxins in spices. The meeting on additives, which will be held May 11, 2021, will include a discussion on proposed draft specifications for identity and purity of food additives.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has responded to the House report on levels of heavy metals in baby food with the promise of additional action. The FDA statement notes, "First, today we issued a letter to industry reminding manufacturers of these types of foods of their existing responsibilities related to these efforts. Secondly, the agency is announcing that we’ll soon be putting into action a plan aimed at reducing toxic elements in foods for babies and young children to levels as low as is reasonably achievable." The industry letter asserts that the agency will take action to remove foods from the market "when the levels of toxic elements or other chemicals in foods do pose a health risk," citing as an example a consent decree the agency obtained in January 2021 to stop Valley Processing Inc. from selling adulterated juice. The agency's plan includes finalizing an action level…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) inspector general will reportedly review how the agency handled inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Washington Post. The probe will review how the Food Safety and Inspection Service spent $33 million in extra funding provided by Congress in March 2020, including what precautions were taken to protect the health of inspectors. The probe comes amid elevated scrutiny on how meatpacking plants have handled the pandemic, including lawsuits targeting meat companies. A Nebraska court dismissed a lawsuit brought by former employees of a Noah's Ark Processors plant alleging the company failed to implement proper precautions to stop the spread of the virus, holding that the employees lacked standing because they no longer work at the plant. Alma v. Noah's Ark Processors LLC, No. 20-3141 (D. Neb., entered March 1, 2021).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have issued a joint statement stating that "there is no credible evidence of food or food packaging associated with or as a likely source of viral transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus causing COVID-19." The statement was issued one week after the World Health Organization reportedly stated that the virus could be transmitted on frozen food packaging. "The USDA and the FDA are sharing this update based upon the best available information from scientific bodies across the globe, including a continued international consensus that the risk is exceedingly low for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to humans via food and food packaging. For example, a recent opinion from the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF), stated: 'Despite the billions of meals and food packages handled since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, to…
The U.S. Senate has voted 92-7 to confirm Tom Vilsack as head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Vilsack, who served in the position under former President Barack Obama, stated that his priorities include addressing "the pandemic, racial justice and equity and climate change."
