U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) has reportedly joined the California Poultry Federation (CPF) and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) in urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reform labeling requirements for sodium-enhanced chicken. “Unfortunately, since 2003, chicken injected with sodium additives has been allowed to be misleadingly labeled as ‘100 percent all-natural,’” Boxer apparently stated at a February 24, 2010, press conference. “In these difficult times, our families should not have to pay $2 billion for saltwater that they don’t know about, they don’t want and they certainly don’t need.” Known as “plumping,” this practice purportedly involves injecting “saltwater, chicken stock, seaweed extract or some combination thereof into chicken to increase its weight and price, while simultaneously increasing sodium content by up to 700 [percent],” according to one CPF member’s internet campaign. Although USDA already requires poultry containing these ingredients to carry warning labels at…
Category Archives Department of Agriculture
A federal court in Washington has reportedly denied a feedlot company’s request to invalidate or delay implementation of the country-of-origin labeling (COOL) regulations adopted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2008. Easterday Ranches, Inc. v. USDA, No. __ (E.D. Wash., decided February 5, 2010). According to news sources, the company argued that the COOL regulations, which do not allow beef imported from Canada or Mexico and slaughtered in the United States to be labeled as a U.S. product, conflicted with U.S. Treasury Department rules, would raise its recordkeeping and operational costs, and deter packers from paying fair prices for Canadian cattle. The Treasury rules apparently provide that beef is deemed a U.S. product if it undergoes “substantial transformation,” e.g., slaughter, within this country. The court refused to postpone USDA’s rules and further declined to order the agency to create an exception to COOL allowing cattle imported from Canada and…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have issued a joint statement to announce a collaborative effort to improve the safety and quality of fresh produce. As part of the announcement, the agencies report that USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service “is in the midst of evaluating a proposed marketing agreement for the leafy green industry,” while the FDA “is currently developing a proposed produce safety regulation.” The notice calls for feedback and comments from stakeholders, noting that FDA would establish “a docket to receive information about current practices and conditions for the production and packing of fresh produce and practical approaches to improving produce safety.” See FDA News & Events, February 18, 2010.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Marketing Service has issued a final rule that amends National Organic Program (NOP) regulations to establish “a pasture practice standard for ruminant animals.” Seeking “to satisfy consumer expectations that ruminant livestock animals graze on pastures during the grazing season,” the final rule requires producers to (i) “provide year-round access for all animals to the outdoors”; (ii) “recognize pasture as a crop”; (iii) “establish a functioning management plan for pasture”; (iv) “incorporate the pasture management plan into their organic system plan (OSP)”; (v) “provide ruminants with pasture throughout the grazing season for their geographical location”; and (vi) “ensure ruminants derive not less than an average of 30 percent of their dry matter intake (DMI) requirement from pasture grazed over the course of the grazing season.” This rule takes effect June 17, 2010, for operations seeking organic certification by this date. Operations already certified as of…
According to a news source, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspectors, who test the meat and trimmings used in ground beef, deal with about 60 positive E. coli tests annually by taking steps to ensure that the tested meat does not reach consumers, but they apparently fail to conduct a full inspection to try to pinpoint the source of contamination or locate additional meat that may be contaminated. Food safety and consumer advocates, such as Food & Water Watch, have reportedly called on the USDA to adopt a policy change that would require deeper investigations when positive results turn up in routine investigations. They contend that this could indicate a breakdown in the food safety system and consumers are at risk because other tainted meat could remain in the food chain. A spokesperson for the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) was quoted as saying, “The risk profile of these…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced its intention to abandon the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and develop a “new, flexible framework for animal disease traceability,” citing public feedback and input from states, tribal nations, industry groups, and small and organic farmers. Created in 2004, NAIS aimed to register all domestic livestock in a national database to facilitate the response of state and federal officials during a disease outbreak. The system apparently drew criticism from many quarters that objected to both the cost and intrusiveness of the measure, which some felt would eventually become mandatory. Unveiled at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Mid-Year Meeting, the new initiative outlines “the basic tenets of an improved animal disease traceability capability in the United States.” According to USDA, this framework will (i) “Only apply to animals moved in interstate commerce”; (ii) “Be administered by the States and…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Food and Drug Administration have announced a February 8, 2010, public meeting to discuss draft U.S. positions for the 42nd Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) slated for March 15-19, 2010, in Beijing, China. Co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the meeting will include discussions concerning (i) “endorsement and/or revision of maximum levels for food additives and processing aids in [C]odex standards”; (ii) “draft and proposed draft food additive provisions of the General Standards for Food Additives (GSFA)”; (iii) “proposals for changes or additions to the International Numbering System (INS) for food additives”; (iv) “identification of problems and recommendations related to the inconsistent presentation of food additives provisions in Codex commodity standards; and (v) “the Codex standard for food grade salt.” See Federal Register, January 28, 2010.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued a recommendation statement advising clinicians to screen children ages 6 and older for obesity and to refer them for intensive counseling and behavior treatment if warranted. USPSTF bases its guidance “on a systematic review of the evidence of the benefits and harms and an assessment of the net benefit of the service.” In an update to its 2005 guidelines for screening children and adolescents, USPSTF reportedly claims that treating obese kids can help them lose weight only if rigorous diet, activity and behavior counseling are involved. According to its latest study, the expert panel found “adequate evidence that multicomponent, moderate- to high-intensity behavioral interventions” for obese children can “effectively yield short-term (up to 12 months) improvements in weight status.” As USPSTF Chair Ned Calonge told a news source, the group realizes that most pediatricians are not equipped to offer the necessary treatment…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services have published a notice announcing the fifth meeting of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Scheduled for February 9, 2010, the meeting will be conducted as an online webinar and is expected to consist of discussions about (i) nutrient adequacy, (ii) energy balance and weight management, (iii) carbohydrates and protein, (iv) sodium, potassium and water, (v) fatty acids and cholesterol, (vi) ethanol, and (vii) food safety. Written comments may be submitted and must be received no later than February 3 for the committee’s consideration before the meeting. Comments may also be submitted at any time “throughout the Committee deliberation process.” To participate in the online program, pre-registration is required. Webinar capacity is limited, and a waiting list will be maintained if necessary. See Federal Register, January 22, 2010.
U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Calif.) has called for an independent review of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) meat and poultry inspection system, citing the recent recall of approximately 864,000 pounds of beef possibly contaminated with E. coli. Issued by a Montebello, Calif.-based meat packing company, the recall involved ground beef products identified by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) during a recent food safety assessment. In addition, FSIS reportedly flagged some 2008 products based on the establishment’s records. According to DeLauro, an independent board would “support and advise USDA, ensure that the inspection process is rigorous and scientifically robust, and recommend changes to any practices that are insufficiently protecting our food supply.” She further opined that this latest incident, which involved products produced almost two years ago, “is a glaring indication that the current inspection system for meat and poultry is inherently flawed and not sufficient to protect the…
