FSIS will no longer suspend inspection if establishment employees aren’t wearing masks. On Tuesday, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued FSIS Notice 09-22,...more
Effective August 9, 2021, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will expect all facilities with FSIS inspectors present to require employees or contractors to wear masks,...more
On 21 January President Biden issued an Executive Order calling for increased federal emphasis on worker safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. In his Executive Order on Protecting Worker Health and Safety, President Biden...more
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have released in draft form a report providing recommendations on how to prioritize access to a COVID-19 vaccine, once one is available.The National Academies are...more
The CDC recently released updated its guidance on the criteria for determining when a worker diagnosed with COVID-19 may return to work. The interim guidance, Discontinuation of Isolation for Persons with COVID-19 Not in...more
On July 15, 2020, the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board passed first-in-the-nation codified emergency temporary standards (the Standards) establishing requirements for employers to control, prevent, and mitigate the...more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a guidance document titled Testing Strategy for COVID-19 in High-Density Critical Infrastructure Workplaces after a COVID-19 Case is Identified (the Guidance),...more
6/19/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Essential Workers ,
Food Service Workers ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On May 19, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) authorizing federal agencies to provide regulatory relief to support the economic response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Specifically, the EO allows agencies to rescind,...more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued Interim Guidance from CDC and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Manufacturing Workers and Employers (the Interim Guidance), which...more
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently issued a COVID-19 industry guidance intended for facilities that process or pack meat, dairy, or produce to support a safe and clean environment for workers. In...more
5/16/2020
/ Agribusiness ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Training ,
Farm Animals ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Safety ,
Food Supply ,
Meat Processing Plants ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Social Distancing ,
Workplace Decontamination ,
Workplace Safety
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently updated its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) webpage regarding COVID-19 to include a section on President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) invoking the Defense...more
Late Tuesday, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue sent letters to state governors and meat and poultry processing company leaders setting forth USDA’s expectations for continued operations during the...more
5/8/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Agriculture ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Safety ,
Food Supply ,
Meat Processing Plants ,
OSHA ,
Secretary of Agriculture ,
USDA ,
Workplace Safety
This week, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order invoking the Defense Production Act (DPA) to protect the meat and poultry production supply chain. In the Executive Order, entitled, Delegating Authority Under The...more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have issued interim guidance on COVID-19 considerations for meat and poultry processing workers and employers. This...more
5/1/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Farm Animals ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Safety ,
Food Supply ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Meat Processing Plants ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Poultry ,
Public Health ,
Workplace Safety
This post summarizes two recent documents the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued for the Food and Agriculture Sector in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The first, “Use of Respirators, Facemasks, and Cloth Face...more
5/1/2020
/ Agribusiness ,
Agricultural Workers ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Farms ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Safety ,
Food Supply ,
Health & Safety Standard ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Regulatory Requirements
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) revised its interim guidance identifying critical infrastructure workers who the agency suggests should be exempt from state...more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently updated their respective questions and answers guidance to address questions or update their recommendations concerning food...more
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...more
This post summarizes two recent steps by the federal government to provide food safety guidance in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. First, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a fact sheet and...more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued interim guidance identifying situations in which CDC believes critical infrastructure workers can continue to work despite exposure to individuals with suspected...more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released guidance regarding compliance with the shell Egg Safety Rule during the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate the distribution of eggs to retail. The agency also updated...more
This post summarizes two recent steps by the federal government to provide food safety guidance in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. ...more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently updated their respective COVID-19 questions and answers guidance. FDA updated its food safety questions and answers guidance on...more
The 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...more
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...more