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  • Foods and Dietary Supplements

    • Basic Research and the “Reasonable Basis” StandardDecember 29th, 2014

      By Jennifer M. Thomas – Last month, the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah dealt a significant blow to the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) when it denied FTC’s motion summary judgment in a case against Basic Research, LLC (“Basic Research”).  The Court’s decision marks …

    • Colorado Physicians Question Safety of Edible Marijuana ProductsDecember 23rd, 2014

      By Ricardo Carvajal – In an opinion piece recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a trio of Colorado physicians examine the implications of legalization of marijuana in their home state.  The authors summarize “expected” effects, including increased use of health care services in …

    • Raw Milk Advocates Press Challenge to Soy Protein Heart Health Claim; CDC Scientists Report Increase in Illnesses Associated with Raw MilkDecember 21st, 2014

      By Ricardo Carvajal -  The Weston A. Price Foundation sued FDA to compel a response to the Foundation’s 2008 citizen petition (Docket No. FDA-2008-P-0452) asking FDA to revoke its regulation authorizing heart health claims for soy protein, which the Foundation claims is “not soy in its natural form.”  …

    • In Vending Machine Final Rule, A Smorgasbord of ChangesDecember 4th, 2014

      By Ricardo Carvajal – In tandem with its menu labeling final rule (see our prior posting here), FDA published a final rule that sets out requirements for calorie declaration for foods sold from certain vending machines.  In certain respects, the final rule is broader in scope …

    • FDA Issues Final Rule on Menu Labeling; Sweeping and Prescriptive, Few Retail Establishments Are ExemptedDecember 1st, 2014

      By Riëtte van Laack – The Affordable Care Act requires calorie and other nutrition information on menu and menu boards for consumers in chain restaurants and other “similar retail establishments” that sell restaurant-type food.  In 2011, FDA issued a proposed rule (see our previous post here).  …

    • Court Dismisses Lawsuit Alleging Unreasonable Delay in FDA’s Lack of Response to Seafood Advisory Citizen PetitionNovember 25th, 2014

      By Ricardo Carvajal -  The D.C. District Court granted FDA’s motion for summary judgment in a lawsuit alleging unreasonable delay in the agency’s response to a citizen petition asking for the inclusion of FDA/EPA’s seafood consumption advisory in seafood labeling and at point-of-sale.  Although the petition was …

    • DOJ Announces Another GMP Consent Decree for a Dietary Supplement ManufacturerNovember 20th, 2014

      By Riëtte van Laack – On Nov. 13, 2014, DOJ announced another Consent Decree of permanent injunction regarding the manufacture and distribution of dietary supplements. Under the Consent Decree, contract manufacturer SciLabs, Inc. and its CEO Paul Edalat are prohibited from the manufacture and distribution of dietary …

    • FDA Considers Significantly Expanding Red Book Food Safety Testing Guidance to Cover Dietary Ingredients, Food Contact Substances, and CosmeticsNovember 4th, 2014

      By Wes Siegner – In the October 30 Federal Register, FDA announced that it will hold a public meeting on December 9 to consider significant changes to its guidance titled  “Toxicological Principles for the Safety Assessment of Food Ingredients,” or “Redbook”.  FDA also invited comment to …

    • FTC to Food Marketers: Don’t Forget the “Q” in QHCOctober 31st, 2014

      By Ricardo Carvajal & Riëtte van Laack –  FTC filed a complaint in the district court of New Jersey alleging that certain of Gerber’s advertising claims for its hydrolyzed-whey-based infant formula constitute deceptive acts or practices and the making of false advertisements, in violation of the FTC Act.  …

    • FDA Makes Educational Push on Mislabeling of SeafoodOctober 27th, 2014

      By Ricardo Carvajal -  FDA released an online learning module intended “to help the seafood industry, retailers, and state regulators ensure the proper labeling of seafood products offered for sale in the U.S. marketplace.”  The learning module consists of three videos that provide an overview of applicable …

    • FDA Agrees to Deadline for Issuance of GRAS Final RuleOctober 22nd, 2014

      By Ricardo Carvajal –  FDA and the Center for Food Safety (CFS) entered into a consent decree that calls for FDA “to submit a final rule regarding ‘Substances Generally Recognized as Safe’ to the Federal Register for publication no later than August 31, 2016.”  As we reported in …

    • Beyond Drinking the WormOctober 19th, 2014

      By Ricardo Carvajal – That’s the clever title of a symposium on entomophagy being delivered at the next annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America (ESA), scheduled for the week of November 16 in Portland, Oregon.  As we noted in a prior posting, the market for insect-derived …

    • ISRTP Workshop on GRAS DeterminationsOctober 9th, 2014

      The International Society of Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology (“ISRTP”) will be holding a Workshop on GRAS Determinations from October 13-14, 2014 at the ASEA Conference Center in Washington, DC.  The workshop provides a forum for leading scientific experts to contribute to the ongoing debate prompted …

    • Setting the Record Straight on GRAS: Part 2October 6th, 2014

      By Ricardo Carvajal & Diane B. McColl – In Part 1 of our effort to characterize the principal errors and mischaracterizations underpinning attacks on the GRAS exception, we focused on misrepresentations of the Food Additive Amendment’s legislative history and of the difficulties FDA allegedly faces in …

    • Bayer Case Highlights the Importance of Involving an Expert in SubstantiationSeptember 28th, 2014

      By Jennifer M. Thomas – For the past few days, industry has reacted with anxiety to the government’s decision to pursue an order to show cause why Bayer, Corp. should not be held in contempt of that company’s 2007 consent decree with FTC due to its …