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
On social media and other digital advertising platforms, proper disclosure of material interests between an endorser and the product manufacturer is critical to inform consumers and avoid alleged deceptive advertising...more
4/9/2020
/ Advertising ,
Comment Period ,
Endorsements ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Endorsement Guidelines ,
Influencers ,
Marketing ,
Online Endorsements ,
Online Platforms ,
Social Media ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Websites
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
In response to two petitions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced that intends to conduct rulemaking to change its policy toward “Product of USA” claims for...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
On March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act,” or the CARES Act. This is the third phase of federal legislation in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The estimated...more
3/30/2020
/ Agribusiness ,
Agricultural Marketing Act ,
APHIS ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Federal Aid ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Safety ,
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) ,
Relief Measures ,
SNAP Program ,
Tax Credits
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a Constituent Update announcing the Agency temporarily is exercising enforcement discretion to provide labeling flexibilities for...more
In our memo of March 19, we summarized federal government policy identifying the Food and Agriculture and Transportation industries as two of the nation’s 16 Critical Infrastructure Sectors. In The President’s Coronavirus...more
3/20/2020
/ Agribusiness ,
Business Closures ,
Business Interruption ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Farms ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Service Workers ,
Food Supply ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
Restaurant Industry
As the novel coronavirus crisis continues to escalate, state and local governments have begun implementing increasingly aggressive measures, including restrictions on when and which businesses may operate, quarantines,...more
As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has continued to escalate, both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have taken additional action to provide industry, the...more
3/18/2020
/ China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Recalls ,
Food Safety ,
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) ,
Food Supply ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
Safety Inspections ,
USDA
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a revised compliance guideline for substantiating animal raising claims on labels for meat and poultry products. This updated...more
1/10/2020
/ Agribusiness ,
Animal Health ,
Claim Procedures ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Farm Animals ,
Farms ,
Food Labeling ,
Food Safety ,
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) ,
New Guidance ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Retail Market ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Strict Compliance ,
Third-Party Service Provider ,
USDA
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently released the Fall 2019 Unified Agenda of Regulatory Actions, which outlines the rulemaking actions currently under development in each federal agency. This memorandum...more
12/19/2019
/ Agribusiness ,
APHIS ,
Farms ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Safety ,
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) ,
Food Supply ,
FSMA ,
Imports ,
OMB ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Rulemaking Process ,
USDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released an updated Fourth Edition of its Guidance for Industry entitled, “Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Control Guidance, Fourth Edition – August 2019” (“the...more
Recently, FSIS issued its long-awaited guidance on the labeling and packaging of “kit” products. Although FSIS has long informally applied its “kit policy,” this FSIS Compliance Guideline marks the first public guidance that...more
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently released the Spring 2019 Unified Agenda of Regulatory Actions, which outlines the rulemaking actions currently under development in each federal agency. This memorandum...more
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report entitled, “Preliminary Incidence and Trends of Infections with Pathogens Transmitted Commonly Through Food – Foodborne Diseases Active...more
On April 17, 2019, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a proposed rule that would eliminate the requirement that certain packages of meat or poultry products...more
4/23/2019
/ Agribusiness ,
Comment Period ,
Farm Animals ,
Food Labeling ,
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
USDA
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a Draft Guideline detailing the Agency’s expectations of companies that identify foreign material in their meat and poultry products...more
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today a formal-agreement coordinating joint jurisdiction over the production of...more
What are the 3 letters that should strike fear into the heart of every food executive? No, the 3 letters are not F-D-A. Although the Food and Drug Administration is quite powerful, the agency can only wield that power...more