All eyes are on Washington as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prepares to publish final food safety requirements for produce farms and food processing facilities this fall. These rules are just a few of the many new requirements that FDA will be finalizing in the coming months as part of the Food Safety Modernization […]
Food Safety
DARK Act Approved in the House
On July 23, the House of Representatives has passed H.R. 1599, the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015, also known as the “Deny Americans the Right to Know” or DARK Act. The final vote was 275 to 150. A dozen GOP members voted no and 45 Democratic members voted yes. Among conservative “blue […]
DARK Act Approved by the House Agriculture Committee
On Tuesday, July 14, the House Agriculture Committee approved the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015, also known as the “Deny Americans’ Right to Know” or DARK Act by opponents. The passage of the most recent version of the bill gives more authority to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service to oversee voluntary non-GMO […]
GMO Labeling Hearing Misses the Mark
With GMO labeling a heated issue at the state and federal level, the House Committee of Energy and Commerce hearing on “A National Framework for the Review and Labeling of Biotechnology in Food” drew quite a crowd. The House hearing, on Thursday, June 18, focused on Representative Mike Pompeo’s (R-KS) Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, known as the […]
FDA Rule on Food Animal Antibiotic Use Data Now Open for Comment
On May 19, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a proposed rule that will enable more detailed data collection on antibiotic use in livestock production in the United States. This rule would require drug companies to obtain and report estimates of sales by major food producing species – namely cattle, chickens, turkeys, and pigs. The additional […]
Funding Available to Build Food Safety Training Infrastructure
On Monday, May 18, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) released a request for applications (RFA) to establish Regional Centers for food safety training, education, outreach, extension, and technical assistance. These centers will work in tandem with the yet-to-be-named National Coordination Center as part of a joint effort between […]
FDA Clarifies Facility Rule Exemption for Direct-to-Consumer Sales
On April 8, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a proposed rule to amend food facility registration requirements under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). This proposed rule includes a long-awaited clarification to the definition of “retail food establishment,” which has particular importance for farms that sell products through direct-to-consumer marketing platforms. One […]
Bill to Thwart GMO Labeling Effort is Back
Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) has reintroduced his bill that would block federal and state efforts to require the labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Vermont, Maine, and Connecticut have passed laws requiring GMO labeling, and many more states are currently considering similar legislation. “Right to Know” GMO labeling ballot initiatives were narrowly defeated […]
FDA Responds to Farmer Concerns Regarding Intrusive Farm Visits
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is changing the way they do certain on-farm visits, according to a recent Q&A published to the agency’s website. FDA is authorized to do what’s called “surveillance sampling” of certain products to test for bacteria and assess whether the preventive approach to food safety is working. FDA routinely […]
Farmers, Ranchers Visit DC to Speak Out on Critical Sustainable Agriculture Programs
On March 18th, independent family farmers and ranchers from all over the country traveled to DC to meet with their Congressional members to advocate for critical sustainable agriculture programs. They discussed the importance of federal funding for programs that support working lands conservation, agricultural research, and food safety outreach. Over the course of the day, the farmers met with their Senators and Representatives to discuss their personal experiences working with sustainable agriculture programs. The farmers explained how funding for these programs is an effective investment in rural economies, local food systems, and environmental improvement…. Read More →
FDA Analyzes Environmental Impacts of Produce Safety Rule
On February 10, 2015, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a public listening session on the recently released Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed Food Safety Modernization Act rule for produce safety (Produce Rule). NSAC presented comments at the session. Background on the Environmental Review Process When FDA originally issued the proposed […]
Funding Available to Establish a National Center for Food Safety Training
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a request for applications (RFA) to establish a National Coordination Center as part of the Food Safety Training, Education, Extension, Outreach, and Technical Assistance Grants Program. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), signed into law in 2011, authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute for […]
Top 14 of 2014: A Look at This Year’s Key Victories for Sustainable Food and Farming
As 2014 comes to a close, we thought we would take a moment to recognize and celebrate this year’s victories for sustainable food and farming. Among the successes? From new or restored farm bill programs that are up and running, important progress on our campaign priorities, hill visits and hearings, and the release of our […]
Which Farms Have to Register with FDA?
The US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) new proposed food safety rules for food facilities apply to those facilities that are required to register with the government. Hence the question of who must register as a food facility with the FDA has been central to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rulemaking process since it began […]
Top 10 Fixes and Fails in FDA’s Revised Draft Food Safety Rules
Did FDA fix the issues in the re-proposed food safety rules? Or is there more work to be done?… Read More →
FDA Revises Draft Food Safety Rules for Farms
On September 19, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released revised language for two major proposed rules detailing standards for farms that grow fresh produce (fruits and vegetables) and for facilities that process food for people to eat…. Read More →
Congress Extends 2014 Funding Levels through December 11
On Thursday, September 18, the Senate passed a short-term funding extension, known as a “continuing resolution” (CR), to fund the federal government through December 11. The CR extends fiscal year (FY) 2014 funding levels as well as policy provisions known as appropriations “riders.” The House passed this temporary funding measure earlier this week, and the […]
4 Important Policy Decisions that Will Impact Farmers, Food, and the Environment in 2015
Taking a look at Congress’ work over the next few months, here are four appropriations decisions that will have a major impact on farmers, food, and the environment…. Read More →
Senate Appropriators Pass 2015 Agriculture Funding Bill
What’s in the Senate bill for beginning farmers, food safety training, sustainable agriculture research, and rural communities?… Read More →
House Subcommittee Passes 2015 Agriculture Funding Bill
The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee passed a bill to fund USDA and FDA programs in 2015… Read More →
Busy Week Ahead for USDA Funding in 2015
Next week is a big week for agriculture appropriations. On Tuesday, May 20, both the House and the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees will debate and almost certainly pass their respective agriculture funding bills for fiscal year (FY) 2015. The full Senate Appropriations Committee will then take up the agriculture appropriations bill on Thursday, May 22. […]
NSAC Comments on Environmental Impacts of Produce Safety Rules
Today NSAC submitted supplemental comments on the scope of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will undertake in conjunction with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) proposed rule for produce safety. FDA requested comments on the range of impacts and alternatives that it should consider in the EIS. When FDA […]
Bill Introduced to Thwart State Efforts to Require GMO Labeling
The issue of labeling products that contain genetically modified (GMO) material is contentious and has faced strong opposition from many industry groups but has been backed aggressively by consumer advocacy groups. It is estimated that 80 percent of food in the United States contains at least one genetically engineered ingredient, and polls have indicated that […]
More 2015 Funding Hearings – Food Safety, Rural Development, and Marketing Programs
This week, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee held hearings on the Obama Administration’s FY 2015 funding requests for three USDA mission areas – Food Safety, Rural Development, and Marketing and Regulatory Programs, which includes the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). The Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee also held […]