Food Law News
- FDA Publishes Q&A on Radiation Safety, Issues Import Alert
Discussion of steps the agency is taking to ensure that foods imported from Japan are safe. - Candy + Calcium = Warning Letter
FDA issued a warning letter to Goetze’s Candy Co. Inc., because the addition of calcium to Goetze’s Caramel Cream Chocolate goes against FDA’s food fortification policy, 21 C.F.R. § 104.20. - Summer Academy on Global Food law & Policy
The fourth Summer Academy in Global Food Law & Policy will take place at Como Lake - Italy, July 23-27, 2012, at the beautiful Villa La Collina. A distinguished faculty from relevant food organizations (WTO, Codex, EFSA, EU Commission), industry (CocaCola) as well as academia (Michigan, Bocconi, HEC Paris) will be animating cutting-edge discussions on the latests developments in global food governance, from food private standards to health claims, from US Food Modernization Acts to novel food regulation. - Lawmakers grill Vilsack on USDA food safety budget
"In a desire to meet commitment to produce big cuts in budget fast they’re setting up collision between irresistible force (campaign promises) and immoveable object (the current law)." - Superbugs in the Supermarket - Marketplace
- The Bug That Poisoned the President
Interesting account of how President Zachary Taylor died from foodborne illness. He probably was not the only American President felled by foodborne illness. His predecessor, James K. Polk, died of cholera and "debilitating diarrhea" a few weeks after leaving the White House. Thomas Jefferson appears to have died of amoebic dysentery. Several Presidents, including James Monroe and Andrew Jackson, are believed to have succumbed to tuberculosis, which can be transmitted via air or food. - Budget Cuts Could Gut New Food Safety Law :: Article - Food Quality
Couldn’t resist the quote by "Dug Powell". - The Park Doctrine- A Serious Issue Food Company Executives Need to Know About | Leavitt Partners Blog
The Park Doctrine is nothing new, but FDA is making the point that it will use this enforcement tool for misdemeanor prosecution as a strong deterrent. - Questions and Answers on the Food Safety Modernization Act
- Enhanced Criminal Penalties for Food Safety Violators?
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) reintroduced legislation to strengthen criminal penalties for food safety violators in the form of the Food Safety Accountability Act of 2011. This bill would require the government to show that certain prohibited acts were committed ‘knowingly and intentionally to defraud or mislead’ and ‘with conscious or reckless disregard of a risk of death or serious bodily injury.’ One thing that hasn’t changed is the penalty for violations, which would carry a fine and/or imprisonment for not more than 10 years. - 7 Things You Should Know About The New Food Safety Law
A summary from Food Processing magazine - The "Blueberries" You’re Eating Might Be Made Out of Chemicals
Blueberries! They’re good for you! High in antioxidants! Delicious! Except when they’re made out of "sugar, corn syrup, starch, hydrogenated oil, artificial flavors and artificial food dye blue No. 2 and red No. 40," as found in a new report. - FDA Reportable Food Registry Annual Report
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) report on the first year of the Reportable Food Registry states that the data, ‘represent an important tool for targeting inspection resources, bringing high risk commodities into focus, and driving positive change in industry practices—all of which will better protect the public health.’
- Advancing Public Health Obesity Policy Through State Attorneys General
Jennifer Pomeranz and Kelly Brownell, who are with the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, have authored this article referring to the role played by state attorneys general (AGs) in public health policy on tobacco, the authors contend that they "can be leaders in formulating and effectuating obesity and food policy solutions." The article also takes note of recent actions state AGs have taken regarding purported misleading labeling of food and beverage products. - Honey laundering: The sour side of nature’s golden sweetener - The Globe and Mail
"As crime sagas go, a scheme rigged by a sophisticated cartel of global traders has all the right blockbuster elements: clandestine movements of illegal substances through a network of co-operatives in Asia, a German conglomerate, jet-setting executives, doctored laboratory reports, high-profile takedowns and fearful turncoats," opens Globe and Mail food reporter Jessica Leeder in this exposé tracing the honey market from Chinese beekeepers, who are allegedly "notorious" for using banned antibiotics and diluting their products, to North America, where they are "baked into everything from breakfast cereals to cookies and mixed into sauces and cough drops.