Regulatory Topic Rss

FDA Spares Food Inspections from Sequester Chopping Block

2013-05-14T12:25:00Z

Pulling back from an April 25 report that as many as 2,100 food inspections—or approximately 18% of the total conducted by the agency—would be eliminated this year as a result of the government sequester, FDA officials announced on May 5 that it would reconfigure its budget to avoid reducing inspections.

FDA Requests Budget Increase to Ensure Safety of Food Supply

2013-04-12T16:44:00Z

The proposed budget for the FDA would total $4.65 billion for fiscal year 2014, which begins Oct. 1, 2013. The budget seeks a 21.4 percent increase of $821 million over the baseline fiscal year 2012 enacted budget, and an 11.2 percent increase of $470 million over the fiscal year 2013 (continuing resolution) budget. However, virtually all of these increases (about 94 percent) would come from user fees from the food, drug, and cosmetics industries as opposed to federal appropriations.

Food & Beverage Manufactures Still Unsure Regarding FSMA Guidelines

2013-04-12T12:25:00Z

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law two years ago, however most food and beverage regulations were just released this past January. A new study by iRely has found that while the guidelines have been pending for some time, many process manufacturers are still either uncertain or unaware of how the new regulations will affect their production processes.

New Proposed FSMA Regulations: From Farm to Fork

2013-03-28T14:22:00Z

An overview of what exactly the two FSMA rules from the FDA mean for the food industry

Small Businesses Tip the Scales for FSMA Exemptions

2013-03-28T14:14:00Z

While smaller farms and facilities applaud FDA’s proposed regulations, many food industry experts question whether these exemptions weaken FSMA’s effectiveness at preventing foodborne disease

Markey Debuts Revised Seafood Fraud Bill

2013-03-26T15:35:00Z

With studies showing that seafood is mislabeled as much as 33% of the time, Representative Edward Markey (D-MA) on March 6 introduced a new bipartisan version of his legislation to combat seafood fraud. The SAFE Seafood Act requires information collected by U.S. fishermen—such as species name, catch location, and harvest method—to “follow the fish,” and be made available to consumers. It also requires equivalent documentation from foreign fish producers, and expands the ability of the FDA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to refuse entry of unsafe or fraudulent seafood shipments.

Beleaguered Eastern Cantaloupe Growers Form Association

2013-03-12T18:52:00Z

After two seasons in a row of disease outbreaks associated with cantaloupe—the Jensen Farms (Colorado) listeria outbreak of 2011 and the Chamberlain Farms (Indiana) salmonella outbreak of 2012—growers on the East Coast of the U.S. have come together to form their own association aimed at improving food safety practices and restoring consumer confidence.

Pressure Mounts to Label Genetically Modified Foods

2013-03-05T15:51:00Z

Statewide efforts to pass laws requiring labeling of genetically modified foods have so far failed—California’s bill went down to defeat in November—but more states are trying. On Feb. 22, a coalition of consumer and environmental groups (and even one labor union) held a press conference urging New Jersey’s legislature to become the first in the nation to mandate such labeling.

As Regulatory Oversight Grows, Career Development in Food Safety Shifts

2013-02-15T02:14:00Z

Preparing the next-generation of leaders is vital.

U.K. Regulators, Food Industry Agree on Testing Program

2013-02-12T16:22:00Z

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and representatives of the food industry in the United Kingdom agreed to conduct testing of meat products and publish the results “to provide a clearer picture of standards in the food chain,” the agency announced February 4. Some grocery chains have also announced their own new DNA testing regimens. The tests are being implemented in response to the identification of horse and pig DNA in beef products in the U.K. and Ireland.