The US Senate has approved a $125bn budget for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), which includes extra funding for food safety as well as farming subsidies.
At the APEC meeting in Singapore, Robert Brackett of the GMA has applauded the founding of a food safety training network, just days after the organization praised the House for passing a landmark food safety bill.
The US Government has announced further measures to curb the spread of food-borne diseases such as E.coli just days after lawmakers approved the bill overhauling the country’s food safety system.
The US House of Representatives passed a food safety bill on Thursday that promises far-reaching reform of how food is processed and grown, intended to boost food safety and consumer confidence.
Trade liberalization in Central America has led to increased imports and availability of processed food, contributing to nutrition and obesity problems in the region, according to a new study.
The sweeping bill to overhaul the US food safety system was rejected yesterday over fears of imposing excessive burdens on farmers and that its hurried legislative passage had prevented proper scrutiny.
The United States is giving away too much control to some foreign countries over food safety as trade concerns over-ride health issues, a leading US politician has said.
Every day that Congress delays in passing the Food Safety Enhancement Act puts more lives at risk, Consumers Union is claiming – and had the provisions been in place this year’s ‘deadly peanut debacle’ may never have happened.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken legal action against a New York-based cheese producer, claiming that unsanitary conditions at the company’s plant pose a public health risk.
The Obama administration has said it will propose new regulations to strengthen the US food safety system and create a position for a deputy food commissioner on Tuesday, according to newswire reports.
The Atlantic Ocean separates continents; it also separates schools of thought on the definition of nanotechnology. In order to educate manufacturers and consumers on nanotechnology a definition is critical.
Top US nutrition experts together with health organizations and leading doctors have joined forces to ask President Barack Obama to combat obesity by creating a Presidential Commission on Healthy Weights, Healthy Lives.
The Food Safety Enhancement Act has been broadly welcomed by industry but a group of organizations has issued a letter to the relevant committee voicing strong opposition to several of the bill’s provisions.
The US and Canada have come to an agreement on organic equivalency standards, expanding organic trade opportunities, US Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced on Wednesday.
Health Canada is considering granting food makers discretionary powers to fortify “junk foods” to improve their nutritional profile and the diets of Canadians.
The United States has extended an antidumping duty order on saccharin from China, after a review concluded that cheaper imports of the sweetener would damage the domestic market.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) already has sufficient authority to assess the safety of nanotechnology - but its regulation is not all to do with size, says Dr Annette McCarthy of the FDA.
The issue of whether the FDA should charge food processors and manufacturers a $1000 fee to help fund food safety inspections has divided industry and consumer bodies.
A contentious proposal to compel US food manufacturers to contribute towards safety inspection costs took a step forward yesterday after the Food and Drug Administration signalled its backing for the idea.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said it is reviewing its advice that bisphenol A (BPA) is safe for use in baby bottles and food containers, pledging to announce its findings within weeks.
New legislation designed to strengthen the “dangerous” US food safety system as well as simplify its complex food supply chain has been introduced by key political figures from the House of Representatives.
Bottled water manufacturers, including Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, will face stricter standards following the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to implement new rules to prevent contamination with E. coli bacteria.
The recent outbreak of salmonella in the United States caused by contaminated peanut butter represented a “failure” by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency’s new commissioner said this week as she took up her post.
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have approved a high oleic acid genetically modified (GM) soybean for cultivation and foods containing the oil could hit the market by 2010, says DuPont.
Open trade in food products between the EU and US is on its way following the agreement over the beef hormone dispute this week, industry believes – even though the stand off is not fully resolved.
General Mills has been told to change the marketing of its popular Cheerios whole grain cereal, as the health claims it currently uses classify it as an unapproved drug.
Dr Margaret Hamburg, the Obama Administration’s pick to lead the FDA, easily cleared the Senate on Thursday, while the Administration proposed a record budget increase for the agency.
Minnesota has become the first US state to ban the use of the controversial chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) in baby bottles. Concern focuses on the possible effects of BPA leaching into babies' feed when bottles are heated.
Proposed US tariffs of 300 per cent for Roquefort cheese are to be shelved under a new arrangement between the US Trade Representative (USTR) and the European Commission (EC).
A group of meat industry representatives has sent a letter to President Obama urging a rethink of legislation banning imported cooked poultry from China, saying it breaches US trade obligations.
How will the new health claims system in Europe impact the state of play in the North American market? Lorraine Heller speaks to a leading international ingredients supplier about the potential marketing and regulatory implications.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s dual mandate of public protection and food risk safety assessment is not working and should be replaced with an independent food safety agency, warns a leading food safety expert.
On a summer’s day in 1906 Theodore Roosevelt pushed through new food safety regulation. The Food and Drugs Act passed that day over 100 years ago was the last time the US food safety system was modernized.
The FDA’s Department of Health and Human Services has published a new guide on the Prior Notice rule for small companies involved in the import and export of foods in the US.
President Obama made two appointments within the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Friday, to run the department’s public nutrition programs, and to oversee US agricultural research and education.
Holes need to be plugged in local and state-level food safety programs in order to effectively protect the public from foodborne illness, says a new report prepared with input from regional health officials.
The US Food and Drug Administration has said current regulations are not working to prevent deliberate contamination of food and pharmaceutical products and has called a public meeting to address the issue.
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) has teamed with Food Processors of Canada in an attempt to relax strict laws governing Product of Canada labeling implemented at the beginning of the year.
The US and Canada have agreed to finalize negotiations on organic equivalency standards between the countries by this summer, according to the Organic Trade Association.
The USDA has chosen not to change laws on genetically engineered sugarbeets in a lawsuit filed by the Center for Food Safety and Earthjustice requesting a review of deregulation for the beets last month.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has voiced its support of President Obama’s efforts to form a food safety working group, but it inspection fees are a work in progress.
A consortium of 82 organizations is campaigning for more stringent evaluations of genetically engineered crops in the US, and urging a freeze on new approvals pending changes to the authorization procedure.
