The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and Consumer Reports have petitioned the Food Safety and Inspection Service, requesting the agency "clarify the labeling of processed meats." "Specifically, we ask that the agency cease requiring that such products be labeled 'Uncured,' and/or 'No Nitrate or Nitrite Added' when they have been processed using non-synthetic sources of nitrate and nitrite, such as celery powder, rather than traditional synthetic sources, such as sodium nitrite." The petition asserts that both "synthetic and non-synthetic nitrites and nitrates may cause cancer," and the petition coincided with the release of a Consumer Reports investigation purportedly finding that "consumers are confused by the 'No Nitrate or Nitrite Added' statements, which are currently accompanied by a fine-print disclaimer on product labels identifying the non-synthetic source of nitrates or nitrites." "We therefore urge the agency to stop requiring, and instead prohibit, the 'No Nitrate or Nitrite Added'…
Category Archives Department of Agriculture
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has conducted a study on how "use by" and "best by" dates on food products could be improved to reduce food waste. The agency examined actions by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and concluded with the recommendation that "USDA and FDA develop a mechanism to facilitate coordination with relevant nonfederal stakeholders on actions related to date labels," according to the agency. "USDA and FDA agreed with our recommendation and are planning actions to implement the recommendation."
In testimony before the House Agriculture Subcommittee, Under Secretary of Agriculture Greg Ibach suggested that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) could potentially be used in the production of organic foods eventually. "As the National Organic Standards Board set the rules originally, right now GMO or transgenics are not eligible to be in the Organic Program, but we've seen new technology evolve that includes gene editing that accomplishes things in shorter periods of time that can be done through a natural breeding process," Ibach stated. "I think there is the opportunity to open the discussion to consider whether it is appropriate for some of these new technologies that include gene editing to be eligible to be used to enhance organic production and to have resistant varieties—drought-resistant, disease-resistant varieties as well as higher-yielding varieties—available." Meanwhile, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) released guidance on how human dietary exposure to newly expressed proteins in…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released guidance on meal kits requiring inspection by the agency's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The guidance indicates that meal kits do not require assembly subject to FSIS inspection if (i) the "meat or poultry component is prepared and separately packaged under FSIS inspection and labeled with all required features"; (ii) the "outer kit label identifies all of the individual components in the kit"; and (iii) the "outer kit label clearly identifies the product as a single unit or 'kit,' such as 'Chicken BBQ Dinner Kit' and 'Beef Lasagna Meal.'"
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Health and Human Services have announced meetings to hear public comments on the 2020 dietary guidelines revisions. The 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee will allow three-minute pre-registered comments from the public at its meetings on July 11, 2019, and January 25, 2020, and registration for the July meeting closes at 5:00 p.m. on July 1.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced proposed revisions to its regulations regarding "the movement (importation, interstate movement, and environmental release) of certain genetically modified organisms" (GMOs). The proposal, "the first comprehensive revision of the regulations since they were established in 1987," would adjust how the agency handles permits for plants created as a result of genetic engineering (GE). "While the current regulations have been effective in ensuring the safe introduction of GE organisms during the past 30 years, advances in genetic engineering have occurred since they were promulgated," the announcement states. "APHIS has now accumulated three decades of experience in evaluating GE organisms for plant pest risk. The Agency's evaluations to date have provided evidence that genetically engineering a plant with a plant pest as a vector, vector agent, or donor does not in and of itself result in a GE plant…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a June 21, 2019, public meeting to discuss several general Codex Alimentarius Commission issues, including the adoption and revocation of Codex Texts, amendments to Codex Standards, the Codex Strategic Plan 2020-2025 and matters arising from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization. The meeting will also feature a discussion of budgetary and financial matters, including a 2018-2019 progress report and a proposal for 2020-2021.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a press release responding to The Washington Post's reporting on an impending change to pork plant inspections. "FSIS is appalled at The Washington Post’s poor attempt at explaining a proposal to modernize inspection," the press release states. "The Post’s decision to continue to parrot arguments that are devoid of factual and scientific evidence only serves to further the personal agenda of special interest groups that have nothing to do with ensuring food safety. Despite FSIS spending countless hours responding to The Post and providing clarification about the proposed rule, The Post chose to ignore the information and went with an already formed opinion and headline." FSIS argues that the article was "deliberately misleading" on several points and lists 11 rebuttals for statements made in the Post article, including the assertion that the pork industry "soon will…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will accept comments on proposed changes to the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) Program Standards until May 13, 2019. Changes include an amended testing protocol for Mycoplasma, amended Salmonella isolation procedures and updated cleaning and disinfecting procedures.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced an April 9, 2019, public meeting to receive comments on the United States' positions for the Codex Committee on Food Labelling meeting to be held in Canada in May 2019. Among the announced topics are (i) "Proposed draft Guidance for the Labelling of Non-Retail Containers"; (ii) "Proposed draft Guidelines of Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling"; (iii) "Innovation—use of technology in food labelling"; (iv) "Labelling of alcoholic beverages"; and (v) "Criteria for the definition of 'high in' nutritional descriptors for fats, sugars, and sodium."
