By Riëtte van Laack – The U.S. Government Accountability Office ("GAO") has released a report that calls for FDA to take further actions to improve oversight and consumer understanding of dietary supplements. In its 2009 Report, GAO reviews developments since its previous report in 2000. Significant …
By Ricardo Carvajal – The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine and the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources of the National Research Council have established an ad hoc committee to examine FDA’s oversight of food safety and make recommendations to fill “gaps …
By Cassandra A. Soltis – The Indiana Senate is currently reviewing House Bill No. 1207, passed by the House on February 25, 2009, which would require food establishments having 20 or more locations in Indiana to post both calorie and carbohydrate information “in a manner that …
By Riëtte van Laack – The Eastern District Court of California enjoined California from enforcing California's Penal Code Section 599f against federally inspected swine slaughterhouses on the ground that section 599f is expressly preempted by the Federal Meat Inspection Act (“FMIA”). Section 599f prohibits a slaughterhouse …
By Cassandra A. Soltis – A settlement agreement reached between numerous state attorneys general and Coke, Nestle, and Beverage Partnership Worldwide makes clear that it is not just the Federal Trade Commission that is scrutinizing weight loss claims. The target of the attorneys general action …
By John R. Fleder, Douglas B. Farquhar & Ricardo Carvajal – The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California (Sacramento) has announced guilty pleas by two individuals for fraudulent activities in connection with their distribution of tomato products. Allegedly at the direction of her superiors …
By John R. Fleder, Douglas B. Farquhar & Ricardo Carvajal – FDA has obtained summary judgment and an order of permanent injunction against a Minnesota seafood supplier that was found to have had an inadequate HACCP plan for more than three years, in violation of FDC …
By Ricardo Carvajal The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected the New York State Restaurant Association’s (NYSRA’s) challenge to a New York City Board of Health (NYC) regulation requiring all menu boards and menus in chain restaurants with 15 or more establishments nationally to bear …
By Ricardo Carvajal – Disagreeing with an earlier New Jersey district court decision, a California district court has ruled that there is no federal preemption of an unfair competition claim against the manufacturer of a food that contains high fructose corn syrup ("HFCS") and is labeled …
By Ricardo Carvajal – FDA has approved the biological product ATryn, an anticoagulant derived from the milk of genetically engineered ("GE") goats. The approval follows on the heels of the agency’s issuance of long-awaited guidance on its regulatory approach to GE animals, which we discussed …
By Ricardo Carvajal & Susan J. Matthees – The FDA Globalization Act (“FDAGA”) of 2008 was “meant to stimulate discussion about how to provide adequate funding and authority for FDA to ensure safety” of products over which the agency has jurisdiction. When we commented on …
By Ricardo Carvajal – USDA has suspended, and proposes to debar, Peanut Corporation of America ("PCA") from “participating in government contracts or subcontracts, as well as federal non procurement programs,” among other activities. The suspension is for one year and is effective immediately. The proposed debarment …
The latest issue of the Food and Drug Law Institute’s “Update” magazine features articles written by four Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C. attorneys. The first article, titled “Imported Products – FDA Is Not Fooling Around,” was written by Dara Katcher Levy and John R. Fleder. It …
By Wes Siegner & Ricardo Carvajal – Last August, FDA published data that the Agency had gathered on the content of lead in 324 vitamin products labeled for use by women or children. FDA made clear that its estimates of lead exposures for all of …
By Diane B. McColl & Ricardo Carvajal – In an attempt to improve import safety and further implement its Food Protection Plan, FDA has issued a Guidance for Industry titled “Voluntary Third-Party Certification Programs for Foods and Feeds.” The guidance recognizes that independent certification of …
