Civil Law

Guest Blog: FDA issues Food Traceability Final Rule: key takeaways for the industry

Written by: Sharon MaylMatthew Piscitelli

On November 15, FDA issued the long-awaited Final Rule: Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods (Food Traceability Rule or final rule), which establishes additional traceability recordkeeping requirements for those that manufacture, process, pack or hold certain foods.

More specifically, the final rule identifies Key Activities or Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) along the supply chain where records containing Key Data Elements (KDEs) will have to be created and maintained for foods on the Food Traceability List … Read the rest

Civil Law

Technology in food driving FDA’s announcements during the past week

During the same week that the Food and Drug Administration re-affirmed its approval of Atlantic salmon with an intentionally altered genome, the agency also permitted the growth of chicken from animal cells in laboratories.

The approval went to a specific company, UPSIDE FOODS. The company is a leader among those wanting to harvest cells from animals and then use the cells to grow meat and poultry in lab settings.

The federal government’s dual regulatory system for cell-grown meat and poultry … Read the rest

Civil Law

UK food microbiology lab notes less contact with the EU

The United Kingdom leaving the European Union has resulted in reduced communication between UK and EU food networks, according to a new report.

The annual report covers work of the UK’s national reference laboratory (NRL) for food microbiology between April 2021 and March 2022.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) provides this service for the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for Listeria monocytogenes, coagulase-positive staphylococci, E. coli, Campylobacter, Salmonella and antimicrobial resistance.

Reduced information sharing

The NRL has had less contact … Read the rest

Civil Law

Kentucky launches new food safety reporting website

This month, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced the launch of a new website where Kentuckians can easily report foodborne issues.

Before the website, foodborne illness was reported to the district or local health departments by phone. The new website allows for quick and easy reporting by consumers. It also allows state public health officials to get the necessary information more efficiently, enabling quicker action to prevent others from becoming sick.

“Protecting the health and safety of our Kentucky families is … Read the rest

Civil Law

Portuguese agency involved in several operations against unsafe food

Authorities in Portugal have carried out a series of recent operations to crackdown on businesses not complying with food rules.

The Food and Economic Security Authority (ASAE) helped to seize 500 kilograms of fish and meat products with limited traceability at a cold store facility this past month.

The inspection was to verify compliance with food storage and handling. Products were destroyed after being sent for analysis and criminal proceedings were opened.

A separate visit to a cold store in … Read the rest

Civil Law

U.S. slips down rankings in food security index

The United States has fallen a few places in the latest rankings of a report that measures food security.

The study from Economist Impact put Finland at the top, followed by Ireland, Norway and France. Canada was seventh and the United Kingdom was ninth. The United States dropped to 13th from ninth in the previous edition.

The 11th Global Food Security Index (GFSI) covers food affordability, availability, quality and safety, and sustainability and adaptation across 113 countries. Indicators are used to do … Read the rest

Civil Law

Senate committee sets nomination hearing for top food safety official

A committee in the U.S. Senate has finally set a nomination hearing to consider Jose Emilio Esteban for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s top food safety job.

Nominated on Nov. 12, 2021, by President Joe Biden, Esteban is scheduled to go before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on Sept. 22. The committee has not offered any reason why the nomination hearing has been delayed so long, except for a comment from Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-MI. At one … Read the rest

Civil Law

Food safety talks between U.S. and Mexico focus on building partnership

This past week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and its regulatory counterparts in Mexico — the Federal Commission for the Protection from Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) and the National Service of Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA) — held the second annual Food Safety Partnership (FSP) Meeting as part of ongoing efforts to help ensure the safety of food imported from Mexico and to advance protections for consumers in both countries.

“We are building on the longstanding partnership for the … Read the rest