NSAC Archives for the 'Food Safety' Category
Smithfield Buyout Raises Fair Competition Concerns
Friday, May 31st, 2013
A bid by Shuanghui International, also known as Shineway, to purchase Smithfield Foods for $4.7 billion became national news this week. Shuanghui is the majority shareholder of China’s largest meat processor and, according to the Wall Street Journal, sources most of its products from private farmers – a practice that has been scrutinized in China Read the Rest…
House Subcommittee Debates 2014 Farm and Food Funding
Friday, April 26th, 2013
Over the last two weeks, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee held a series of hearings to examine the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s and the Food and Drug Administration’s budget requests for fiscal year (FY) 2014. We previously posted about the first Subcommittee hearing of the year, which featured Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and the second Read the Rest…
Senators Question Aspects of Proposed Food Safety Regulations
Friday, April 19th, 2013
In a hearing about the agency’s proposed Fiscal Year 2014 budget request, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Hamburg fielded questions from Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee members on a wide-ranging set of issues, from sequestration effects to cosmetics and food safety. Throughout the hearing, Senators raised issues and questions about the FDA’s proposed regulations on Read the Rest…
Comment Period for New Food Safety Regulations Extended
Thursday, April 18th, 2013
At a Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee hearing today, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Hamburg said that the comment period on the two proposed food safety regulations currently open for comment would be extended by 120 days. The comment period was originally set to close on May 16, and with the extension, the comment period Read the Rest…
NSAC Launches New Food Safety Site
Friday, April 5th, 2013
Looking for information about the new proposed food safety regulations? Unsure about whether the proposed rules affect you? Want to comment on the proposed rules? Check out NSAC’s new food safety website! With the deadline for comment on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) proposed food safety regulations fast approaching, NSAC has launched a new food Read the Rest…
Final 2013 Funding Bill Clears Congress
Thursday, March 21st, 2013
On Thursday, March 21, the House of Representatives voted 318-109 to adopt the Senate-passed continuing appropriations resolution, which will fund federal programs through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2013. The House did not make any changes to the bill, as amended and passed by the Senate yesterday by a vote of 73-26. Conservation Stewardship Read the Rest…
Comment on FDA Plan for Human Drugs Used in Food Animal Production
Friday, March 15th, 2013
For many years, the Keep Antibiotics Working Campaign – a coalition of health, consumer, agricultural, environmental, humane, and other advocacy groups — has worked to eliminate the inappropriate use of antimicrobials, including antibiotics, in food animals. This use has been flagged as a major cause of resistance in numerous pathogens to antibiotics that are important Read the Rest…
FDA Releases Food Safety Regulations
Friday, January 4th, 2013
Today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released two major proposed rules detailing standards for produce safety and preventive controls for human food production. FDA is also requesting comments on its draft risk analysis on activities conducted in a facility co-located on a farm. Releasing these rules is part of FDA’s implementation of the Food Read the Rest…
Department of Justice Drops Monsanto Antitrust Investigation Without Explanation
Wednesday, December 5th, 2012
In late November, U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division decided to drop its investigation of Monsanto’s control over much of the U.S. seed market. Monsanto has gained this control through the buyout of numerous seed companies and its use of the patent system to extract concessions from farmers who buy the seed. As noted by Read the Rest…
FDA, Congress, and Courts Take Up Aresenic in Rice Issue
Friday, October 26th, 2012
Background The November 2012 issue of Consumer Reports includes a report on arsenic in rice products that concludes that the levels of inorganic arsenic in rice products, including baby food, are at levels that trigger public health concerns. Ingestion of inorganic arsenic can result in cancer and other health disorders. There are federal drinking water Read the Rest…
