The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has filed a lawsuit
seeking to compel the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to
act on the organization’s 2012 citizen petition seeking establishment
of a performance standard for controlling Vibrio vulnificus, bacteria
responsible for several deaths related to seafood consumption. Ctr. for
Sci. in Pub. Interest v. FDA, No. 16-0995 (D.D.C., filed May 25, 2016).
CSPI argues that FDA has violated the Administrative Procedure Act
by delaying its response to CSPI’s citizen petition urging the agency “to
establish a performance standard of nondetectable for V. vulnificus in
raw molluscan shellfish” under the Food Safety Modernization Act.

“Every year, people are getting sick and some are dying from what is a
completely preventable disease,” CSPI Senior Food Safety Attorney David
Plunkett said in a May 26, 2016, press release. “For too long the FDA
has observed these illnesses and deaths from its perch on the sidelines
– leaving matters to state regulators and the industry. And it’s clear that
that approach has been a public health failure.”

 

Issue 606

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For decades, manufacturers, distributors and retailers at every link in the food chain have come to Shook, Hardy & Bacon to partner with a legal team that understands the issues they face in today's evolving food production industry. Shook attorneys work with some of the world's largest food, beverage and agribusiness companies to establish preventative measures, conduct internal audits, develop public relations strategies, and advance tort reform initiatives.

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