The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has published a Request for Information (RFI) asking interested parties to submit comments regarding potential revisions to the current...more
LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS & STANDARDS - Group Petitions USDA to Prohibit ‘Low-Carbon Beef’ Label, Require Verification for Carbon Claims - The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has petitioned the U.S. Department of...more
A court has invalidated the portion of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS’s) final rule implementing the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (BE Rule) that allows...more
Additional Probes, Lawsuits Announced on Toxic Elements in Baby Food - New York Attorney General Letitia James has announced a probe into whether baby food contains toxic elements such as arsenic and other metals. In a...more
Instagram Macher Facing Wire Fraud Charges Over Bitcoin - “Jay Mazini” was raking in the virtual currency but didn’t bother paying for it, Feds say …Or Lie Tryin’ - A famous playwright once noted that if you tell an audience...more
When you shop, can you tell whether the food you are buying has been genetically modified — is it GMO (genetically modified organism)? Do you know whether all genetically modified foods are actually considered to be...more
The debate over the meaning of “100% Natural” remains unsettled. On May 7, 2020, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit reversed a district court’s October 2017 decision to dismiss a consumer’s complaint...more
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) updated two labeling guidelines involving animal raising claims in December. Labeling Guideline on Documentation Needed to Substantiate Animal Raising Claims...more
The United Kingdom (UK) left the European Union (EU) on 31 January 2020. While the EU and the UK lastly agreed on a withdrawal agreement and thus can avoid an unregulated Brexit, specific rules for trading UK goods on the EU...more
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has released Draft Instructions on Testing Methods (Draft Instructions) for use in compliance with the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure...more
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued an updated Labeling Guideline on Statements That Bioengineered or Genetically-Modified Ingredients or Animal Feed Were Not...more
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking public comment on draft instructions to validate a refining process under the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard...more
A California judge allowed a false advertising class action against Nestlé to move forward, denying the defendant’s motion to dismiss. The lawsuit challenges the company’s creation and use of a “No GMO Ingredients” seal on...more
LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS & STANDARDS - FTC Issues Warning Letters to CBD Companies - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has announced that it sent warning letters to three companies selling “oils, tinctures, capsules,...more
LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS & STANDARDS - Bipartisan Bill Introduced to Standardize Food Date Labels - U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) have introduced the Food Date Labeling Act, which aims...more
On June 11, 2019, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to ease rules for...more
LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS & STANDARDS - Proposed Amendment Would Provide Funds for FDA Oversight of CBD - Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.), in partnership with the Natural Products Association, has reportedly filed an...more
Starting on January 1, 2020 The USDA will require certain products that contain Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) to have a “Biological Engineered” or “BE” label. ...more
FDA Holds Public Meeting on Cannabis - On May 31, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a widely anticipated public hearing with stakeholders on cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds to gain insights on...more
The implementation date for the disclosure obligations triggered by the USDA’s final rule establishing a national standard for the disclosure of bioengineered ingredients in certain food products is January 1, 2020 for...more
Food/Dietary Supplements - FDA Announces Plans to Strengthen Food Safety Program – The FDA proposed new funding under the 2020 budget to address multiple areas of the food safety system. ...more
Unlike a fine wine, a snack bar does not get better with age. Neither, apparently, does litigation. Last month, Judge William H. Pauley III in the Southern District of New York lifted a years-long stay in a lawsuit against...more
On December 21, 2018, the Agricultural Marketing Service (“AMS”) of the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) issued its long-anticipated final rule establishing requirements for the disclosure of food that is...more
LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS & STANDARDS - CBD Banned from New York Restaurants, in Limbo in Idaho - New York City’s health department has reportedly ordered restaurants to stop serving products that contain cannabidiol...more
On December 21, 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) published its final rule implementing the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) signed into law by...more