The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have announced after "several thoughtful discussions" that both agencies "should jointly oversee the production of cell-cultured food products derived from livestock and poultry." The agencies' statement announces a "joint regulatory framework wherein FDA oversees cell collection, cell banks, and cell growth and differentiation" that will transition "during the cell harvest stage" to USDA, which "will then oversee the production and labeling of food products derived from the cells of livestock and poultry." "This regulatory framework will leverage both the FDA’s experience regulating cell-culture technology and living biosystems and the USDA’s expertise in regulating livestock and poultry products for human consumption," the announcement concludes. "USDA and FDA are confident that this regulatory framework can be successfully implemented and assure the safety of these products. Because our agencies have the statutory authority necessary to appropriately regulate cell-cultured food products derived…
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have announced a joint public meeting to discuss "the use of cell culture technology to develop products derived from livestock and poultry." The meeting, which will be held October 23-24, 2018, will focus on "the potential hazards, oversight considerations, and labeling" of the product category. Following a conference hosted by the Good Food Institute, cell-based meat brand representatives reportedly agreed to "abandon[] the term 'clean meat' in favor of cell-based meat." "We discussed the pros and cons of the term 'clean meat,' and decided to shift our label to 'cell-based meat,'" a conference attendee reportedly told Food Navigator. "Traditional meat companies can be our biggest ally if they want to work with us. We can help them transition from industrial animal agriculture to cell-based meat. Cell-based meat is a better label to bring them on board."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the intention to establish a 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and has solicited nominations for membership. The committee will consist of 13 to 20 members and will begin meeting in late 2018 or early 2019. The U.S. Codex Office will hold a public meeting on September 26, 2018, to receive public comments on U.S. positions for the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems.
As part of a proposal to reorganize several federal agencies, the Trump administration has recommended that food-safety regulatory oversight be shifted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), combining the agency's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) with the current food purview of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to the proposal, the Government Accountability Office found that the existing approach "has caused inconsistent oversight, ineffective coordination, and inefficient use of resources" and recommends "merging Federal food safety functions as a potential solution to this fragmentation." For example, the administration suggests, "[W]hile FSIS has regulatory responsibility for the safety of liquid eggs, FDA has regulatory responsibility for the safety of eggs while they are inside of their shells; FDA regulates cheese pizza, but if there is pepperoni on top, it falls under the jurisdiction of FSIS; FDA regulates closed-faced meat sandwiches, while FSIS regulates open-faced meat sandwiches." The proposed USDA agency, the…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that April 2018 proposed changes to the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) will be adopted. The amendments update several provisions, including "those concerning NPIP participation, voting requirements, testing procedures, and standards."
Hampton Creek founder Josh Tetrick reportedly directed his employees to purchase Just Mayo, an eggless mayonnaise, at grocery stores while it pursued funding from investors, according to a Bloomberg report. Five former workers provided Bloomberg with receipts, expense reports, cash advances and emails telling employees, “We need you in Safeway buying Just Mayo and our new flavored mayos . . . And we’re going to pay you for this exciting new project! Below is a list of stores that have been assigned to you.” Tetrick told Bloomberg that the purchases were part of a quality-control program to assess Just Mayo from a customer’s perspective, but the survey database of that program did not account for hundreds of purchases, the report indicates. Additional emails also suggest the “Buyouts” project’s purpose was related to sales inflation, including one message that said, “The most important next step with Safeway is huge sales out…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has reportedly launched an investigation into the American Egg Board (AEB) following the release of emails that allegedly revealed a concerted campaign against Hampton Creek, the manufacturer of an egg-free mayonnaise-like spread called Just Mayo. According to The Guardian, the announcement comes after calls for a congressional investigation by Hampton Creek CEO Josh Tetrick and others. “Recent news reports have brought to light a series of emails, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, that contain compelling evidence that [American Egg Board] leadership, including the Egg Board’s President and CEO, may have violated the federal laws and administrative regulations governing checkoff programs,” stated U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) in an October 20 letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack about the emails. Additional details about the AEB emails and litigation against Hampton Creek appear in Issues 578 and 549 of this…
