On June 3, 2019, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announcedthat the National Organic Program (NOP) published a letter to certifiers titled, “Certification of Organic Crop Container Systems.” Over the last decade, there has been a disagreement within the organic industry about use of container systems in …
In recent years, food waste has received increasing attention. Based on studies, it appears that up to 40 percent of the food in the United States is never eaten. Waste occurs at every step in the food production and consumption chain. However, data suggest that …
On June 26, 2016, NuTek Food Science, LLC (NuTek) petitioned FDA to recognize “potassium salt” as an optional name for potassium chloride. Petitioner claimed (and presented evidence) that consumer acceptance of potassium chloride (as alternative to salt or sodium chloride) is hindered by consumers’ association …
In 2016, the Animal League Defense Fund (ALDF) sued Hormel Foods Corporation, alleging that the company’s use of the terms “natural” and “no preservatives added” in advertising for its Natural Choice products violated the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act. Plaintiff alleged that the these claims …
FDA’s nutrition labeling rules have defined most nutrients based on chemical structure. However, in light of evidence on allulose, FDA may need to reconsider that focus. Allulose is a monosaccharide, and the nutrition labeling regulation defines sugars as mono- and disaccharides. Thus, under the regulations, allulose …
On April 16, the Food Safety & Inspection Service (FSIS) of USDA announced the publication of a proposed rule amending the labeling regulations for net content statements on meat and poultry. FSIS proposes to remove the requirement for dual declaration of net weight and net …
Last week FDA issued a final regulation regarding consumer antiseptic rubs. In 2016, FDA had proposed that 28 active ingredients, including triclosan, are not eligible for evaluation under the FDA’s OTC Drug Review for use in consumer antiseptic rubs. FDA requested but did not receive …
We have long posted about the government’s threats to hold individuals liable for actions taken on behalf of their companies, for example here, but these actions remain rare and typically are reserved for egregious, repeated, and intentional criminality. A recent indictment against two former executives, …
As readers of this blog may recall, the issue of the regulation of meat and poultry derived from cell lines, identified by such terms as cultured meat, clean meat, and cell-based meat, became front cover news a little more than a year ago when the …
On February 21, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued a summary order reversing the dismissal by the District Court of the Southern District Court of New York of an action by FTC and New York State (“FTC”) action challenging the marketing …
Back in 2014, The Sunscreen Innovation Act (“SIA”) amended the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with the goal of accelerating the review of sunscreen ingredients that had been proposed for addition to the sunscreen monograph. Although the original focus of the SIA was on …
On February 11, 2019, Dr. Gottlieb issued a statement that appears to build on statements from December 2018. In December 2018, as part of remarks to the FDLI Enforcement, Litigation, and Compliance Conference, Dr. Gottlieb had alluded to FDA’s plans to step up its efforts …
The question of whether hydroponic operations are eligible for organic certification in the United States has been debated since 1995. In most countries, such as Mexico and Canada, and regions, such as the EU, organic certification cannot be extended to crops not grown in soil. …
On December 27, 2018, the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia enjoined the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from implementing a regulation setting reimbursement for hospital outpatient payment rates for 340B drugs at Average Sales Price (ASP) minus 22.5%. A brief history: …
On Dec. 18, 2018, the Center of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) of FDA announced the publication of its 2017 Report on Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed for Use in Food-Producing Animals. This report is required by the Animal Drug User Fee Amendments of 2008. Under that law, …
