Both the USDA and the FDA recently released updates to food labeling regulations that will significantly affect food manufacturers. On Friday, May 4, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the USDA proposed a rule regarding the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard providing labeling requirements for disclosing whether a food product has been bioengineered.
The proposed
Today, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) filed cloture on the nomination of Dr. Scott Gottlieb to be the next FDA Commissioner. A cloture vote to end debate will occur Monday afternoon, with 50 votes needed to advance the nomination. It will be followed by a final vote on the nomination, which typically occurs after 30 hours of “post-cloture” debate, but it could be shortened by agreement. Assuming this timing, the final confirmation vote on Dr. Gottlieb’s nomination likely would occur on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
Continue Reading Senate Expected to Vote on Gottlieb Nomination Next Week
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, recently submitted written responses to questions posed by members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee as a follow up to his hearing on April 5. As a follow up to our April 13 post, below are selected Q&A exchanges based on questions submitted by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Patty Murray (D-WA).
Continue Reading FDA Commissioner Nominee Gottlieb’s Written Responses Signal Support for Food Safety and Science-Based Approach to Consumer Communications
Yesterday, U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., announced a bipartisan compromise bill regarding labeling of bioengineered foods, sometimes referred to as “genetically modified organisms” or “GMOs.” They stated, “This bipartisan agreement is an important path forward that represents a true compromise. Since time is of the essence,
FDA announced today that it was finalizing two previously proposed rules that will require industry to overhaul Nutrition Facts panels on all food products sold in the United States and recalculate serving sizes for some foods. The new rules mark the first time that FDA has engaged in rulemaking to update the framework for nutrition
Although “healthy” might sound like a subjective term, FDA has long-defined “healthy” under nutrient content claim regulations. For example, to be “healthy” an item must be low in fat and saturated fat. Many stakeholders and health advocates have argued that this conception of “healthy” may be outdated, and the agency hinted this week that it
Last February, FDA issued three warning letters to companies marketing cannabidiol (CBD) products as dietary supplements. FDA reviewed the companies’ websites and concluded that claims that CBD products could treat post-traumatic stress disorder, lupus, cancer, and other conditions rendered the products unapproved new drugs.
This February, FDA again turned its attention to CBD products, issuing
In June 2015, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed two sweeping ordinances concerning sugar-sweetened beverages designed to “inform the public of the presence of added sugars” and restrict certain advertising for these products. The first ordinance requires warnings on certain advertisements for sugar-sweetened beverages to advise consumers about the “harmful health effects of consuming
On Thursday, November 19th, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it had approved an application for AquAdvantage Salmon, a type of Atlantic Salmon that has been genetically engineered to grow to market size more quickly than other salmon. The agency regulates genetically engineered (GE) animals such as AquAdvantage Salmon under the
On November 19, 2015, FDA issued its final guidance for industry concerning the requirements for voluntarily indicating whether food products have or have not been derived from genetically engineered plants. The final guidance updates the FDA draft guidance originally issued on January 18, 2001. Under the guidance, food manufacturers may voluntarily label their foods with
