The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recently announced a multi-step effort to strengthen oversight of animal-raising claims. Animal-raising claims are voluntary marketing claims about meat and poultry...more
People around the planet must be more wary of the fungus among us, because the too often overlooked pathogens are becoming “increasingly widespread, resistant to treatment, and deadly.” That’s the view of the World...more
A notice in the Official Journal of the European Union has announced a tightening of restrictions on the allowable amount of ethylene oxide, “an important chemical substance having multiple uses, including the use as a...more
With the coronavirus pandemic surging anew due to the highly infectious Omicron BA.5 variant, federal authorities reported recent data that should give Americans plenty of reason to heed public health warnings and avoid...more
“Our world faces a silent, slow-moving global threat that kills around 700,000 people each year due to the uncontrolled rise of superbugs resistant to antibiotics. These superbugs can affect anyone, of any age, in any...more
Scientists from Boston University’s College of Engineering have discovered a new optical microscopic technique using blue laser light which has the capability to weaken MRSA cells and potentially revolutionize treatment for...more
On March 24, 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) issued Guidance[1] suspending the enforcement of certain veterinarian-client-patient relationship (“VCPR”) requirements to help veterinarians provide animal...more
Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued two reports suggesting that declining private investment and lack of innovation in the development of new antibiotics is undermining efforts to combat drug-resistant...more
LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS & STANDARDS - U.S. Lawmakers Urge FDA to Act on CBD - A group of U.S. lawmakers, led by Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and James Comer (R-Ky.), have urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration...more
L E G I S L A T I O N , R E G U L A T I O N S & S T A N D A R D S - FDA Issues Guidance On “Potassium Chloride Salt” - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued draft guidance for industry on the use of...more
Farms.com discussed a proposed EPA rule exempting farms from emission reporting. USAgNet discussed EU restrictions on use of antibiotics on healthy farm animals. The Conversation reported on current efforts to develop...more
LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS & STANDARDS - FDA Provides Update on Antimicrobial Resistance - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published Commissioner Scott Gottlieb’s September 14, 2018, remarks delivered at...more
The Washington Post reported on gene editing technology. The Los Angeles Times reported on Brazilian efforts to deregulate pesticides. Food Safety News discussed FDA review of link between pet diet and heart disease....more
LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS & STANDARDS - FDA Commissioner Questions Milk Standards Enforcement - At a speaking engagement, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb reportedly expressed that the...more
Advocacy Groups Urge Senate to Support NOSB - A group of advocacy organizations has sent a letter asking the leaders of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry to “fully support organic agriculture in the...more
In a speech at the National Food Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb reportedly summarized the agency’s plans, including (i) defining “healthy” for use...more
Senators Urge USDA to Implement GMO Labeling - Several Democratic senators, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), have sent a letter to the head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) urging Secretary Sonny Perdue to...more
OIG Report Suggests Improvements to FSMA Enforcement - A report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has concluded that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)...more
Antibiotic resistance is a major problem in the United States and is considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be one of the largest threats to human health. The top 12 bacterial threats classified by WHO are...more
As we have discussed in previous installments of "The Emergent Microbiome," we have seen a distinct growth in the interest of the microbial communities found in our environment beyond the confines of the human body. Earlier...more
Chicago SSB Tax May Cause State to Lose Federal Funding, USDA Warns - According to a warning letter from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax that took effect in the Chicago...more
Antibiotics and similar drugs, known more broadly as antimicrobial agents, are an instrumental weapon in the healthcare armory, rendering once-lethal infections treatable, and dramatically reducing instances of sepsis and...more
Google “fluoroquinolones,” and page after page of search results come up about the dangers, risks and side effects of the antibiotic. Articles appear citing arrhythmia, nerve damage and type 2 diabetes all being associated...more
On January 13, 2016, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the United States Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (“HELP”) Committee, released a Minority Staff Report detailing the results of a year-long...more
Federal Circuit Interprets Statutory Requirements for Biosimilar Regulatory Pathway - Amgen Inc., v. Sandoz Inc., (Fed. Cir. July 21, 2015): In a case of first impression, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal...more