This regular publication by DLA Piper lawyers focuses on helping clients navigate the ever-changing business, legal, and regulatory landscape....more
Recently, the United States General Accounting Office (GAO), which is a nonpartisan agency in the legislative branch, took on oversight of the executive branch agency, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In...more
Four months after completing its first premarket consultation, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared its second premarket consultation for cell-cultivated meat production. We wrote about the first premarket...more
On June 7, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) released in pre-publication form an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) requesting general public comments on the tournament system used in poultry contracting...more
The meat processing sector has been in the crosshairs of the federal government over that last several years due to increased consumer prices for meat products and complaints from farmers and ranchers. These complaints have...more
USDA and DOJ have announced shared principles to drive antitrust enforcement in the meat and poultry supply chains. On January 3, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack and Attorney General Merrick...more
On Friday, July 9, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order (EO) 14036, “Promoting Competition in the American Economy”. In the ensuing months, federal agencies have begun to implement the EO’s 72 initiatives to address...more
In recent years, consumers have expressed a growing interest in knowing where their food comes from and in sourcing that food directly from the producer. This style of marketing – popularly coined “farm-to-table” or...more
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently published an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) seeking public comment pertaining to the labeling of meat and...more
M-E-A-T has become a complicated word. A variety of alternative meat products are on the market or in development. Plant-based meat substitutes are already commonplace in our grocery stores and restaurants. Some of these...more
Introduction: Alpha-Gal Syndrome - Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is an allergy to red meat and other products made from mammals. In addition to red meat allergy, AGS can also manifest as frequent and deadly-if-untreated...more
Introduction: Meat Alternatives and Cultured Meat - Conventional meat production has been implicated in environmental damage, the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria, and increasing emission of greenhouse gasses....more
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has proposed a rule that would codify the legalization of hemp cultivation and related definitions passed in the 2018 Farm Bill into the Controlled Substances Act. The amendments...more
3-D biomeat: Is it finger-lickin’ good? Biomeat, a.k.a., cultured or cell-based meat, is an emerging area of food science that food manufacturers, food retailers, and restaurant chains are currently monitoring as consumers...more
LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS & STANDARDS - New York Legislature Passes Bill To Ban PFAS In Food Packaging - The New York legislature has passed SB 8817, which would prohibit “the distribution, sale, and offer for sale in...more
FDA Enters New Phase Of FSVP Enforcement - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has entered a new phase of enforcement for the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) regulation, the legally required due...more
In a workplace safety whistleblower lawsuit recently filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, an air conditioning technician claims he was fired by his employer, HT Airsystems of Florida, LLC, in...more
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently issued a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding the potential use of the Defense Production Act (DPA) with regard to...more
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
On April 28, 2020, President Trump signed an executive order (the “Order”) invoking the Defense Production Act of 1950, 50 U.S.C. 4501 et seq. (DPA) to address food supply chain disruptions caused by reduced production or...more
On May 5, 2020, United States District Judge Greg Kays issued an order dismissing a federal lawsuit against Smithfield Foods, Inc. and Smithfield Fresh Meats Corp. (collectively, “Smithfield”) related to alleged COVID-19...more