By Ricardo Carvajal – The Government Accountability Office ("GAO") issued a report recommending in part that FDA “identify and request from Congress the authorities needed to access evidence from food companies regarding potentially false or misleading structure/function or other claims on food that would allow the …
By Ricardo Carvajal & Wes Siegner – As we would wager is true of all major pieces of legislation, the Food Safety Modernization Act (“FSMA”) can be expected to have significant unanticipated consequences. By way of background, the FSMA requires all food facilities subject to registration …
By Riëtte van Laack – As previously reported here, on Dec. 8, 2010, FDA issued a proposed rule to amend the interim final rule (“IFR”) for the phytosterol health claim. In the preamble to that proposal, the agency stated its intent to discontinue its policy of …
By Ricardo Carvajal – The American Bar Association’s Section of Ligation (specifically the Food and Supplements Subcommittee of the Products Liability Committee) is presenting its First Annual Workshop on Food and Supplements on February 17 in Atlanta. Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C.’s Ricardo Carvajal will be …
By Ricardo Carvajal – The Food Safety Modernization Act ("FSMA") is now law. We previously blogged on some provisions that take immediate effect (namely stronger records access authority under FDC Act § 414, mandatory recall authority, whistleblower protection, and authority to refuse admission of imported food …
By Diane B. McColl & Ricardo Carvajal – On December 28th, FDA reopened the public comment period for its 1997 proposed rule that outlined the voluntary GRAS notification process intended to replace the voluntary GRAS affirmation petition process. FDA stopped accepting GRAS affirmation petitions and implemented …
By Cassandra A. Soltis – The Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) posed that question in 2005, when it issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking concerning the serving sizes of products that could reasonably be consumed at one eating occasion. 70 Fed. Reg. 17010 (Apr. 4, …
As expected, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Food Safety Modernization Act (H.R. 2751) as passed by the Senate. The bill now goes to the President, who is expected to sign it into law. A copy of the bill is available here (scroll down to …
By Ricardo Carvajal – Capping a week-long flurry of legislative activity, the Senate reportedly passed the Food Safety Modernization Act by a voice vote Sunday night. The legislation now returns to the House, where approval is likely. Given that the President’s signature is certain, it now appears …
By Riëtte van Laack – On December 15, 2010, FDA took several steps to increase its enforcement against products that are marketed as dietary supplements but contain analogs of, or the same active ingredients as, FDA-approved drugs, or other substances that do not qualify as dietary …
By Ricardo Carvajal – The massive spending bill to which food safety legislation was attached (and that also includes provisions on rare and neglected diseases) – the Fiscal Year 2011 Omnibus Appropriations Act – has been pronounced dead. Although Congress may yet find another vehicle for …
Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C.’s Ricardo Carvajal will be presenting "Food Safety: Unintended Components/Contaminants of Food" at the Food and Drug Law Institute's ("FDLI’s") January 24-25, 2011 conference, "Introduction to Food Law and Regulation: How the Government Regulates the Food Industry," which is part of FDLI’s Food Week …
By Ricardo Carvajal – FTC announced a proposed settlement with Dannon over the latter’s allegedly deceptive advertising claims for two of its probiotic products, Activia and DanActive. FTC’s complaint alleged that Dannon explicitly or implicitly represented that one serving of Activia relieved temporary irregularity and helped …
The Washington Legal Foundation recently published an article written by HPM attorneys, Ricardo Carvajal and Nisha P. Shah, on the February 2010 Government Accountability Office ("GAO") report that criticized FDA's general oversight of uses of ingredients that are generally recognized as safe (“GRAS”) and the agency's …
Hyman, Phelps & McNamara’s Paul Hyman and Ricardo Carvajal recently published an article in Food Chemical News on the cost of inadequate substantiation of health-related claims made in the labeling and advertising of foods. Although FDA appears reluctant to take an aggressive stance with respect …
