The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking comments on recommendations to update the List of Bioengineered Foods (List) under the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS). AMS seeks comment on four issues: (1) whether it should add insect-resistant sugarcane to the List; (2) whether it should add the modifier “virus-resistant”
Food Labeling
AMS Issues Final Guidance on Detectability Testing and Validation of Refining Processes Under the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) issued two final guidance documents providing industry stakeholders with instructions on how to implement certain requirements of the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS). The agency’s Guidance to Ensure Acceptable Validation of a Refining Process outlines steps for validating that a refining process makes modified…
COVID-19 Update: FDA Issues Guidance on Temporary Flexibility Policy Regarding Certain Labeling Requirements for Foods for Humans During COVID-19 Pandemic
On May 22, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced two policies to provide temporary flexibility with respect to packaged foods formulation and labeling requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency’s guidance document is entitled “Temporary Policy Regarding Certain Labeling Requirements During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: Minor Formulation Changes and Vending Machines” …
COVID-19 Update: AMS Announces COOL Labeling Flexibilities to Facilitate Redirection of Foodservice Product to Retail
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced it will temporarily exercise enforcement discretion for country of origin labeling (COOL) or method of production requirements to facilitate the redistribution of food products intended for foodservice to be sold in retail establishments. The temporary policy will take effect April 20, 2020 and will…
FDA Issues Temporary Policy Regarding Labeling of Shell Eggs Sold by Retail Establishments
Today, FDA issued a new guidance document that provides retailers with some flexibility from labeling requirements for shell eggs in order to facilitate the distribution of eggs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This guidance provides a basis for retail food establishments to sell unlabeled cartons or flats of shell eggs during the public health emergency if…
COVID-19 Update: FDA Issues Temporary Policy for Menu Labeling Requirements and Updates COVID-19 Guidance
This post summarizes recent actions the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. First, FDA has issued a temporary policy to provide flexibility to chain restaurants and similar retail food establishments currently required to provide nutrition information on menus and menu boards. In light of the need for…
USDA to Initiate Rulemaking for “Made in USA” Claims on Meat and Poultry Products
In response to two petitions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced that intends to conduct rulemaking to change its policy toward “Product of USA” claims for meat and poultry products, with an apparent objective of limiting the scope of products eligible for the claim.
Recently, FSIS announced…
COVID-19 Update: CISA Updates Critical Infrastructure Workers Guidance and FDA Issues Additional Guidance for Industry and the Public
This post summarizes recent actions the federal government has taken in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. First, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has updated its guidance identifying the types of food and agriculture sector workers who the agency suggests should be exempt from state and local shelter in…
FDA Announces Temporary Flexibility Regarding Nutrition Labeling Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced yesterday two policies to provide flexibility with respect to nutrition labeling requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, the agency committed to work cooperatively with all manufacturers for the remainder of the year regarding the use of updated Nutrition and Supplement Facts labels and will not focus on…
A Seat at the Table – What’s new in food law
Please join us on Wednesday, March 11 for the next webinar in our series – A Seat at the Table – What’s new in food law.
The series features updates on the latest news and trends in the food and beverage industry. This session will focus on updates regarding supply agreements, the new nutritional labeling…