EdNet - January 2011
EdNet, the National Food Safety Educator’s Network, is a monthly, multi-agency electronic news journal from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). EdNet provides up-to-date information about food safety and nutrition programs and activities for educators, consumer advocates, government officials, and industry representatives.
If you have questions or comments about this issue of EdNet, send an e-mail to the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FDA).
In this issue:
Advisories, Alerts, and Warnings
- USDA Consumer Alert: Keeping Food Safe During An Emergency
- FDA Warns Consumers Not to Use Fruta Planta Weight Loss Products
- FDA: Don’t Eat Certain Lots of Tiny Greens Brand Alfalfa Sprouts or Spicy Sprouts
- FDA: Rolf’s Patisserie Recalling All Desserts Made After November 1, 2010
- USDA Offers Food Safety Tips for Flooding in California
Resources for Educators
- USDA and HHS Announce New Dietary Guidelines to Help Americans Make Healthier Food Choices and Confront Obesity Epidemic
- USDA: Referee a Safe Super Bowl Party
- Meeting the Challenge of STECs and Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens - Speech by Dr. Elisabeth Hagen
- FDA: Minority Health
- USDA Unveils Critical Upgrades to Nutritional Standards for School Meals
- “Food Safety: A Farm to Fork Effort” – Speech by Dr. Elisabeth Hagen
- Statement by Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs, on the “Food Safety Modernization Act:” Putting the Focus on Prevention”
- Nutrition Facts Panels to Appear on Labels of Popular Cuts of Meat and Poultry Products
- FDA’s “Food Safety Modernization Act:” Food Bill Aims to Improve Safety
- NOAA Launches New Online Library for Deepwater Horizon Information
- USDA Announces Measures to Improve Humane Handling Enforcement Statement from Agriculture Secretary Vilsack on Passage of the “Food Safety Bill”
- USDA Offers Conservation Funding to Organic Producers
- Agricultural Outlook Forum - Speakers Announced
- National Nutrition Month 2011: "Eat Right with Color"
- CDC: Questions and Answers about Raw Milk
- New Podcasts (FSIS)
Meetings, Conferences, and Workshops
- USDA Announces Public Meeting, Seeks Comments on Positions of Pesticide Residues Committee of Codex Alimentarius Commission
- Public Meeting to Review Positions of Codex Committee on Food Additives
- USDA Announces Public Meeting, Seeks Comments on Positions for Codex Committee on Fats and Oils
- Made with Organic Labeling Guidance Open for Public Comment (AMS-USDA)
- USDA Announces Public Meeting, Seeks Comments on Positions for Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling
- USDA Holds Stakeholder Meeting on Genetically Engineered (GE) Alfalfa and Coexistence
Industry
- USDA Amends High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Requirements for Importing Birds, Poultry and Hatching Eggs
- Withdrawal of “Draft FDA Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding Implementation of the Menu Labeling Provisions of Section 4205 of the ‘Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010’”
- First Annual Report Posted for the Reportable Food Registry, FDA’s Early Detection System for Potentially Dangerous Food Products
- Maine Seafood Processor Enters into Consent Decree with FDA
- FDA Seeks to Halt Processing, Distribution at New York Juice Company
- FDA Guidance for Use of Water by Food Manufacturers in Areas Affected by a Boil-Water Advisory
- U.S. Now Accepting Brazilian Products for Import (USDA)
- FSIS Policy Updates
USDA Consumer Alert: Keeping Food Safe During An Emergency
On January 31, 2011, USDA issued recommendations to help minimize the potential for foodborne illnesses in the wake of strong winds, ice, snow, and blizzard conditions across the Plains and Midwest. USDA is hopeful that this information will help minimize the potential for foodborne illnesses due to power outages and other problems that are often associated with severe weather events.
Read this alert:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_013111_01/index.asp
FDA Warns Consumers Not to Use Fruta Planta Weight Loss Products
PRock Marketing LLC, is voluntarily recalling all lots of Fruta Planta and Reduce Weight Fruta Planta because FDA testing determined that the product contains sibutramine. Sibutramine is a drug that was withdrawn from the market in December 2010 for safety reasons. The FDA has received multiple reports of adverse events associated with the use of Fruta Planta and Reduce Weight Fruta Planta, including several cardiac events and one death.
Read detailed information about Fruta Planta Weight Loss Products:
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm238491.htm
Get information about the drug sibutramine:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a601110.html
FDA: Don’t Eat Certain Lots of Tiny Greens Brand Alfalfa Sprouts or Spicy Sprouts
The FDA is advising consumers not to eat Alfalfa Sprouts and Spicy Sprouts (which contain alfalfa sprouts mixed with radish and clover sprouts) from Tiny Greens Organic Farm of
Urbana, IL. The sprouts were distributed in 4 oz. and 5 lb. containers to various customers, including farmers’ markets, restaurants and groceries, in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and possibly other Midwestern states. Tiny Greens Organic Farm’s Alfalfa Sprouts and Spicy Sprouts have been preliminarily linked to a multistate outbreak of “Salmonella” infections.
Get more details about these sprouts:
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm238188.htm
FDA: Rolf’s Patisserie Recalling All Desserts Made After November 1, 2010
The FDA is warning consumers not to eat desserts from Rolf’s Patisserie of Lincolnwood, IL, because they have been linked to several outbreaks of “S. aureus” food poisoning.The desserts are available through retail, wholesale and internet sales, and may not be labeled as coming from Rolf’s Patisserie. Resellers include grocery stores. Rolf’s Patisseries also distributes the products through a catering service and to institutions such as nursing homes. A total of 100 cases of illness have been reported from four separate events in November and December. Three of the events occurred in Illinois and resulted in 30 illnesses. Seventy illnesses have been reported from a single event in Wisconsin.
Get in depth information about this recall:
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm238103.htm
USDA Offers Food Safety Tips for Flooding in California
On December 20, 2010, FSIS issued recommendations for residents in California affected by flooding to minimize the potential for foodborne illnesses due to power outages and other problems often associated with severe weather.
Read this FSIS news release:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_122010_01/index.asp
USDA and HHS Announce New Dietary Guidelines to Help Americans Make Healthier Food Choices and Confront Obesity Epidemic
On January 31, 2011, Agriculture Secretary TomVilsack and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the release of the “2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” the federal government's evidence-based nutritional guidance to promote health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity through improved nutrition and physical activity.
Read this announcement:
http://www.usda.gov/2011/01/0040.xml
Learn more about the 2010 Dietary Guidelines:
http://www.dietaryguidelines.gov
USDA: Referee a Safe Super Bowl Party
On January 27, 2011, the USDA issued a news release titled “Referee a Safer Super Bowl Party:”
When it comes to the Super Bowl, defense matters. When it comes to planning a Super Bowl XLV party, a good defense against foodborne illness matters even more.
Read the rest of news release:
http://www.usda.gov/2011/01/0034.xml
Meeting the Challenge of STECs and Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens - Speech by Dr. Elisabeth Hagen
On January 25, 2011, at the Pew Charitable Trusts and Center for Science in the Public Interest conference, in Washington, DC, Dr. Elisabeth Hagen, USDA’s Under Secretary for Food Safety, delivered the speech “Managing the Risk of Foodborne Hazards: STECs and Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens.”
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Read this speech:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Speech_012511_Hagen/index.asp
FDA: Minority Health
The FDA has resources to help minority communities safely use the medicines, foods, and other products the Agency regulates. Whether you are a patient, a student, health professional or caregiver, this website has resources to help you stay informed and stay healthy.
Get more information:
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ByAudience/MinorityHealth/default.htm
USDA Unveils Critical Upgrades to Nutritional Standards for School Meals
On January 13, 2010, the USDA published a proposed rule to update the nutrition standards for meals served through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs as part of the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010,” signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 13, 2010.
The new proposed meal requirements will raise standards for the first time in fifteen years and will make critical changes to school meals and help improve the health and nutrition of nearly 32 million kids that participate in school meal programs every school day, an important component of First Lady Michelle Obama's “Let's Move!” initiative to solve the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation.
Read this announcement:
http://www.usda.gov/2011/01/0010.xml
“Food Safety: A Farm to Fork Effort” – Speech by Dr. Elisabeth Hagen
On January 9, 2011, at the American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting, in Atlanta, GA,
Dr. Elisabeth Hagen, USDA’s Under Secretary for Food Safety, delivered the speech “Food Safety: A Farm to Fork Effort”
Read this speech:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Speech_010911_Hagen/index.asp
Statement by Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs, on the “Food Safety Modernization Act:” Putting the Focus on Prevention”
“Even before the President signs the Food Safety Modernization Act the passage of this legislation set in motion sweeping improvements to the security and safety of our nation’s food supply. The historic legislation the President has signed directs the Food and Drug Administration, working with a wide range of public and private partners, to build a new system of food safety oversight – one focused on applying, more comprehensively than ever, the best available science and good common sense to prevent the problems that can make people sick. This law represents a sea change for food safety in America, bringing a new focus on prevention, and I expect that in the coming years it will have a dramatic and positive effect on the safety of the food supply.”
Read the entire statement:
http://www.foodsafety.gov/news/fsma.html
Nutrition Facts Panels to Appear on Labels of Popular Cuts of Meat and Poultry Products
On December 29, 2010, FSIS announced that it will be making important nutritional information readily available to consumers on 40 of the most popular cuts of meat and poultry products. Under a new Rule, packages of ground or chopped meat and poultry will feature nutrition facts panels on their labels. Additionally, whole, raw cuts of meat and poultry will also have nutrition facts panels either on their package labels or available for consumers at the point-of-purchase.
This new Rule is an integral part of USDA's efforts to educate consumers about nutrition and diets, and will become effective on January 1, 2012. View the “Federal Register” Notice announcing this Rule:
http://federalregister.gov/a/2010-32485
Read this news release:
http://www.usda.gov/2010/12/0673.xml
FDA’s “Food Safety Modernization Act:” Food Bill Aims to Improve Safety
The “Food Safety Modernization Act” (“FSMA”) gives FDA a mandate to pursue a system that is based on science and addresses hazards from farm to table, putting greater emphasis on preventing food-borne illness. The reasoning is simple: The better the system handles producing, processing, transporting, and preparing foods, the safer our food supply will be. Under the provisions of “FSMA,” companies will be required to develop and implement written food safety plans, FDA will have the authority to better respond and require recalls when food safety problems occur, and FDA will be able to better ensure that imported foods are as safe for consumers as foods produced in the U.S.
Read this Consumer Update:
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm237758.htm
See key facts about the food safety legislation:
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/PublicHealthFocus/ucm237934.htm
Get questions and answers on the “Food Safety Modernization Act:”
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/PublicHealthFocus/ucm238506.htm
Get background on the FDA “Food Safety Modernization Act:”
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/PublicHealthFocus/ucm239907.htm
NOAA Launches New Online Library for Deepwater Horizon Information
On December 29, 2010, NOAA announced that it has launched a Web archive of the maps, wildlife reports, scientific reports and other previously released public information used by emergency responders, fishermen, mariners and local officials during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. NOAA will continue to update the Web site with information products in the weeks and months ahead.
Get more information:
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20101229_dwh_library.html
Access the NOAA Deepwater Horizon Library:
http://www.noaa.gov/deepwaterhorizon
USDA Announces Measures to Improve Humane Handling Enforcement
On December 22, 2010, FSIS announced several measures that will better ensure the humane treatment and slaughter of all cattle presented for processing at FSIS-inspected facilities.
Read this announcement:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_&_events/NR_122210_01/index.asp
Statement from Agriculture Secretary Vilsack on Passage of the “Food Safety Bill”
On December 21, 2010, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued a statement on House passage of the “Food Safety Bill.”
Read this statement:
http://www.usda.gov/2010/12/0670.xml
SDA Offers Conservation Funding to Organic Producers
On December 20, 2010, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced USDA will provide funding to help organic producers and those transitioning to organic production implement resource conservation practices on their agricultural operations.
Read this announcement:
http://www.usda.gov/2010/12/0669.xml
CDC Reports 1 in 6 Get Sick from Foodborne Illnesses Each Year -- New estimates more precise
About 48 million people (1 in 6 Americans) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die each year from foodborne diseases, according new estimates from the CDC. The figures are the most accurate to date due to better data and methods used. The data are published in two articles in the journal “Emerging Infectious Diseases.”
Read this CDC press release:
http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2010/r101215.html
Agricultural Outlook Forum - Speakers Announced
USDA's 2011 Agricultural Outlook Forum welcomes over 130 distinguished speakers to discuss the landscape of agriculture. Secretary Tom Vilsack will deliver the keynote speech followed by distinguished guest speakers.
Among the topics discussed will be foreign trade, risk mitigation, conservation, energy and biomass, nutrition, food safety, farm income, policy and strategies for economic growth. Commodity outlooks for key U.S. crops continue to highlight USDA's largest annual meeting.
The Forum, “Today's Strategies & Tomorrow's Opportunities,” is scheduled for February 24-25, 2011, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott, in Arlington, VA
Get more information:
http://www.usda.gov/oce/forum/
National Nutrition Month 2011: "Eat Right with Color"
National Nutrition Month (R) is a nutrition education and information campaign created annually in March by the American Dietetic Association. The theme for March 2011 is "Eat Right with Color."
The campaign focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.
Find out more:
http://www.eatright.org/NNM/content.aspx?id=5342
CDC: Questions and Answers about Raw Milk
Raw milk is milk from cows, goats, sheep, or other animals that has not been pasteurized. The Center for Disease and Prevention has posted frequently asked questions about raw milk on its Web site.
Access the questions and answers on raw milk:
http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/raw_milk/
New Podcasts
Tune in to podcasts on selecting, handling and preparing meat and poultry products to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. FSIS has released the following new podcasts in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language (ASL):
- Food Safety At Home
- Freezing and Food Safety (English, Spanish and ASL) – January 20
- Chitterlings and Yersiniosis (English and Spanish) – December 22
Check out these podcasts:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_&_events/Podcasts/index.asp
Get Spanish language consumer podcasts:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/En_Espanol/Podcasts_SP/index.asp
Get video-casts in American Sign Language:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_&_events/SignFSIS/index.asp
To continue automatically receiving podcasts, renew your subscription, or for assistance, e-mail: podcast@fsis.usda.gov.
Meetings, Conferences, and Workshops
USDA Announces Public Meeting, Seeks Comments on Positions of Pesticide Residues Committee of Codex Alimentarius Commission
On January 26, 2011, the USDA’s Office of Food Safety (OFS) announced a February 24, 2011 public meeting of the Pesticide Residues Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex). The meeting will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Potomac Yard offices located at 2777 South Crystal Drive in Arlington, VA. The objective of this public meeting is to provide information, receive public comments on agenda items and draft United States positions that will be discussed at the 43rd Session of the Codex in Beijing, China, April 4-9, 2011.
Access documents related to the 43rd Session of CCPR:
http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp
Read this announcement:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_012611_01/index.asp
Public Meeting to Review Positions of Codex Committee on Food Additives
On January 21, 2011, the USDA’s Office of Food Safety and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced they will sponsor a public meeting in advance of the 43rd Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission’s Committee on Food Additives (CCFA).
The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 22, 2011, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Harvey Wiley Federal Building Auditorium, FDA, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD. Interested parties may submit comments and register electronically for the meeting using the following e-mail address: cfsan-ccfa@fda.hhs.gov.
Get more information:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_012111_01/index.asp
USDA Announces Public Meeting, Seeks Comments on Positions for Codex Committee on Fats and Oils
The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA and the FDA are sponsoring a public meeting to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft U.S. positions that will be discussed at the 22nd Session of the Codex Committee on Fats and Oils (CCFO), which will be held in Penang, Malaysia, February 21-25, 2011.
Read this announcement:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_011811_01/index.asp
Made with Organic Labeling Guidance Open for Public Comment (AMS-USDA)
On January 13, 2010, the National Organic Program (NOP), with USDA’s Agriculture and Marketing Service, announced the availability of draft guidance for public input concerning products labeled “made with organic [specified ingredients or food group(s)].” Processed products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients can be labeled “made with organic [specified ingredients or food group(s)].”
The document addresses the use of non-organic ingredients in “made with organic” products and clarifies the use of percentage statements under the “made with organic” labeling category. The NOP will consider all comments submitted by March 14, 2011, before issuing the final guidance. Once finalized, the guidance will be available as part of the “Program Handbook: Guidance and Instructions for Accredited Certifying Agents (ACAs) and Certified Operations.”
The current edition of the “Program Handbook” is available in print upon request, or online:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/NOPProgramHandbook
Read this news release:
http://bit.ly/AMS233_10
USDA Announces Public Meeting, Seeks Comments on Positions for Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling
USDA and FDA are sponsoring a public meeting to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft U.S. positions that will be discussed at the 32nd Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS). The public meeting will be held on Friday, February 9, 2011, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Food and Drug Administration, Harvey Wiley Building, Room 2B047, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway,
College Park, MD. To participate through teleconference for the meeting, dial (866) 859-5767, and enter the passcode 2225276.
Access documents and agenda items related to the 32nd Session of the CCMAS:
http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp
Read this announcement:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_011311_01/index.asp
USDA Holds Stakeholder Meeting on Genetically Engineered (GE) Alfalfa and Coexistence
On December 20, 2010, on the heels of issuing the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Roundup Ready Alfalfa, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack invited stakeholders to a meeting at USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C. The meeting began a dialogue with a diverse group, representing different interests and viewpoints in the GE, organic, and non-GE agriculture sectors, as well as consumer interests, regarding possible approaches to alfalfa production coexistence that are reasonable and practical.
Read this news release:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/content/2010/12/stakeholder_meeting_alfalfa.shtml
USDA Amends High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Requirements for Importing Birds, Poultry and Hatching Eggs
On January 24, 2011, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS issued an interim Rule prohibiting the importation of birds and poultry products from regions where any subtype of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) exists. APHIS’ previous restrictions covered only the H5N1 subtype of avian influenza. The changes are necessary to prevent the introduction of HPAI into the United States. APHIS is also adding restrictions for live poultry and birds that have been vaccinated for any H5 or H7 subtype of HPAI or that have moved through regions where any HPAI subtype exists.
Read this news release: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/2011/01/avian_influenza_reqs.shtml
Withdrawal of “Draft FDA Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding Implementation of the Menu Labeling Provisions of Section 4205 of the ‘Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010’”
The FDA announced the withdrawal of a draft guidance entitled “Draft Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding Implementation of the Menu Labeling Provisions of Section 4205 of the ‘Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010’” dated August 2010, that was announced in the “Federal Register” on August 25, 2010.
Read this Constituent Update: http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/ConstituentUpdates/ucm240574.htm
View the notice of withdrawal:
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2011/2011-1530.htm
First Annual Report Posted for the Reportable Food Registry, FDA’s Early Detection System for Potentially Dangerous Food Products
The first annual Reportable Food Registry Report (RFR) shows that, as Congress intended, the RFR can help FDA track patterns of food and feed adulteration and target FDA’s inspection resources to identify adulterated food/feed and prevent foodborne illnesses. “This report is a measure of our success in receiving early warning on problems with food and feed,” said FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods, Michael Taylor. “The data in this report represents an important tool for targeting our inspection resources, bringing high risk commodities into focus, and driving positive change in industry practices – all of which will better protect the public health.
2,240 entries into the Reportable Food Registry (RFR) help speed identification and investigation of potential health hazards in human food, animal feed and pet food.
Read more about this Constituent Update:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/ConstituentUpdates/ucm240648.htm
The report is entitled, “The Reportable Food Registry: A New Approach to Targeting Inspection Resources and Identifying Patterns of Adulteration—First Annual Report: September 8, 2009 – September 7, 2010.”
Access this report:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodSafetyPrograms/RFR/ucm200958.htm
Get additional information about the Reportable Food Registry: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodSafetyPrograms/RFR/default.htm
Maine Seafood Processor Enters into Consent Decree with FDA
On January 20, 2011, the FDA announced that the Portland Shellfish Co., Inc.; Jeffrey D. Holden, company president; Satyavan Singh, quality manager; and John A. Maloney, general manager, have signed a consent decree prohibiting them from distributing seafood in interstate commerce until the FDA has approved in writing the company’s Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans, sanitation program and “Listeria monocytogenes” (“L. mono”) testing program. FDA investigators documented significant deviations from the seafood HACCP regulation, which the FDA enforces to ensure the safety of fish and fishery products distributed to the public. Failure to comply with the seafood HACCP regulation renders food adulterated under the “Act.”
Read this news release: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm239108.htm
FDA Seeks to Halt Processing, Distribution at New York Juice Company
On January 13, 2011, at the request of the FDA, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a complaint for permanent injunction against a Jamaica, N.Y.-based beverage company to prevent it from processing and distributing juice and other products.
Learn about the violations observed by FDA investigators:
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm239965.htm
FDA Guidance for Use of Water by Food Manufacturers in Areas Affected by a Boil-Water Advisory
Boil-water advisories are public announcements by local water authorities advising consumers to boil tap water used for drinking or other uses in order to protect the public from waterborne infectious agents that could be or are known to be present in local tap water. Such advisories are issued for a variety of reasons, including broken water mains and flooding that adversely impacts water treatment facilities. FDA has issued guidance for food manufacturers in areas subject to a boil-water advisory.
View this Constituent Update:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/ConstituentUpdates/ucm238628.htm
Access the guidance:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocuments/FoodDefenseandEmergencyResponse/ucm211373.htm
U.S. Now Accepting Brazilian Products for Import
The FSIS has announced that cooked canned beef products produced from 12 Brazilian establishments, on or after December 28, 2010 will now be eligible to import into the United States.
Read this update:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_&_events/Const_Update_122910/index.asp
FSIS Policy Updates
FSIS issues Notices and Directives to protect public health. The following policy update was recently issued:
- FSIS Notice 04-11: “Pasteurized Egg Products Imported in Bulk Containers from Canada”
- FSIS Notice 01-11: “Instructions for Verifying all Steps in the Processing of Ready-To-Eat Meat and Poultry Products”
- FSIS Notice 75-10: “Export of Product With a Country Label Designation Different From the Export Certificate Designation”
- FSIS Notice 74-10: “Disposition of Non-Ambulatory Disabled Cattle”
View Notices and Directives:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/index.asp