In This Week’s Edition:
- FDA Salt Substitutes to Lower Sodium Intake, Reduce Disease and Improve Nutrition.
- FDA Releases Prevention Strategy to Enhance the Safety of Soft Fresh Queso Fresco-Type Cheeses
- Update on Outbreak Investigation of Hepatitis A Virus Infections: Frozen Strawberries
- FTC To Hold Informal Hearing on Proposed Impersonation Rule
- FDA Food Facility Registration Update: Temporary Enforcement Discretion for Pending Unique Facility Identifiers No Longer Available
- USDA Announces New Investments in School Meals to Support Healthy Kids
- FSIS to Make Temporary Allowances for Use of Sodium Nitrite from Natural Sources
- FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Status Update
- FSIS Updates Lists of Foreign Establishments Eligible to Export to U.S.
- FDA Import Alerts
- FDA Warning Letters
FDA Salt Substitutes to Lower Sodium Intake, Reduce Disease and Improve Nutrition.
FDA proposed changes to the standards of identity for foods that include salt to permit the use of safe and suitable salt substitutes. FDA contends he proposed rule would help support a healthier food supply by providing flexibility to facilitate industry innovation in the production of standardized foods to reduce sodium content, in the same manner that is already possible for non-standardized foods. This has the potential to contribute to better health outcomes by helping consumers to gradually reduce their sodium intake. Examples of food impacted by the change include canned fruit and vegetables, noodles, sour cream, catsup, mayonnaise and canned tuna. Many more foods are impacted by the rule and detailed in the notice.
FDA Releases Prevention Strategy to Enhance the Safety of Soft Fresh Queso Fresco-Type Cheeses
The FDA has released a summary of a new strategy aimed at reducing foodborne outbreaks and illness associated with the consumption of soft fresh Queso Fresco type cheeses. Read the summary here.
Update on Outbreak Investigation of Hepatitis A Virus Infections: Frozen Strawberries
The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, are investigating an outbreak of hepatitis A virus infections linked to frozen organic strawberries imported by a common supplier from certain farms located in Baja California, Mexico. The frozen organic strawberries were sold to a variety of retailers under multiple brand labels.
FTC To Hold Informal Hearing on Proposed Impersonation Rule
The Federal Trade Commission will hold an informal hearing on its proposed rule prohibiting government and business impersonation at 1 p.m. on May 4, 2023. The informal hearing will be held virtually and livestreamed on ftc.gov. The rule prohibits:
- Using government seals or business logos when communicating with consumers by mail or online.
- Spoofing government and business emails and web addresses, including spoofing “.gov” email addresses or using lookalike email addresses or websites that rely on misspellings of a company’s name.
- Falsely implying government or business affiliation by using terms that are known to be affiliated with a government agency or business (e.g., stating “I’m calling from the Clerk’s Office” to falsely imply affiliation with a court of law).
FDA Food Facility Registration Update: Temporary Enforcement Discretion for Pending Unique Facility Identifiers No Longer Available
FDA’s temporary enforcement discretion that provided the option to select the “Pending UFI Option” for Food Facility Registrations has been terminated. In accordance with the requirements under 21 Code of Federal Regulations §1.231(a)(3), FDA will not confirm your registration or provide you with a registration number until FDA verifies the accuracy of your facility’s UFI (i.e. DUNS number) and verifies that the facility-specific address associated with the UFI is the same address associated with your registration.
USDA Announces New Investments in School Meals to Support Healthy Kids
USDA announced several actions to expand support for and access to the school meal programs, including awarding $50 million in grants that will increase collaboration between schools, food producers and suppliers, and other partners to develop nutritious, appetizing school meals for kids. The department also announced $10 million in grants for schools to expand nutrition education, as well as a proposed regulatory change to give more schools the option to provide healthy school meals to all students at no cost.
FSIS to Make Temporary Allowances for Use of Sodium Nitrite from Natural Sources
Some establishments under federal inspection may be experiencing supply chain shortages of synthetic sodium nitrite used to cure meat and poultry products. As a result, establishments and other stakeholders have expressed interest in substituting a portion of synthetic sodium nitrite with sodium nitrite derived from natural sources. Establishments interested in using the substitution may submit for temporary label approval under 9 CFR 412.1(f). FSIS will evaluate requests for this substitution on a case-by-case basis under its prior label approval system. Long-term use of natural sources of nitrite as curing agents will be addressed through future rulemaking efforts.
FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Status Update
This week’s updates are:
- For the outbreak of Salmonella Hartford (ref # 1144) in a not yet identified product, the case count has increased from 47 to 50 cases. FDA has also initiated an onsite inspection and sample collection and analysis.
FSIS Updates Lists of Foreign Establishments Eligible to Export to U.S.
FDA Import Alerts
The latest FDA import alerts include food products that are or contain unsafe food additives, human food products that appear to be adulterated for economic gain, and more.
FDA Warning Letters
Stuff N Puffs 101, LLC d/b/a Stuff-N-Puffs |
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act/Adulterated/Misbranded |
Cosmetic Science Laboratories LLC |
CGMP/Finished Pharmaceuticals/Adulterated |
Marina Technology LLC |
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act/Adulterated/Misbranded |
Procter & Gamble Manufactura S. de R.L. de C.V. |
Failure to Register and List |
Capital Imports LLC |
Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) |
Dunagin Pharmaceuticals Inc. dba Massco Dental |
CGMP/Finished Pharmaceuticals/Adulterated |
Mariscos Bahia, Inc. |
Seafood HACCP/CGMP for Foods/Adulterated/Insanitary Conditions |
Herbal Vitality, Inc. |
Unapproved New Drugs/Misbranded |
J&H Imports Services Corp |
Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) |
www.ivermectin4covid.com |
Notice of Unlawful Sale of Unapproved Drugs to United States Consumers Over the Internet |