Food Industry Regulatory Update April 16, 2021

In this Week’s Edition:

FDA Advises Companies Regarding Inadvertent Presence of Low Levels of Certain Genetically Engineered Canola Seeds
USDA Boosts Food Assistance for Homeless Young Adults Seeking Refuge in Shelters
FSIS Publishes Study on Effects of Antimicrobial Interventions on Indicator Organisms during Beef Carcass Dressing
FSIS Posts Microbiological Sampling Results Data
Vilsack Speaks on FY2022 Budget Request
USDA Allocates Up to $10 Million to Partner with California and Oregon to Assist Producers Impacted by Drought in Klamath River Basin
USDA Invests More Than $330 Million in Specialty Crops Grants, Incentives to Purchase Fruits and Vegetables, and Help for Cotton Producers
AMS to Conduct Referendum on Pecan Marketing Order
AMS Withdraws Florida Tomato Marketing Order Proposed Rule Impacting Tomato Imports
AMS Terminates 10 U.S. Consumer Standards Deemed Obsolete
APHIS Reopens Comment Period on Proposal to Allow Avocado Imports from Ecuador
FSIS Updates List of Foreign Establishments Eligible to Export to U.S.
FDA Import Alerts
FDA Warning Letters

FDA Advises Companies Regarding Inadvertent Presence of Low Levels of Certain Genetically Engineered Canola Seeds

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been notified by BASF Agricultural Solutions (BASF) and Nuseed that low levels of genetic material from two new varieties of canola seed that are currently under review by the FDA have been found in specific lots of canola seed and a small number of canola fields. The two new canola varieties are altered to produce certain omega-3 long chain fatty acids.

BASF informed the FDA that it found, through testing, low levels of genetic material from the two canola varieties inadvertently present in some lots of its hybrid canola seed and a small number of canola fields. One of the new canola varieties is produced by BASF and the other by Nuseed.

The FDA is currently conducting a voluntary, premarket food safety consultation with each company on its new canola seed variety but hasn’t fully completed these reviews. Although premarket consultations are voluntary, companies typically do not market their products until the consultations are completed. More details here.

USDA Boosts Food Assistance for Homeless Young Adults Seeking Refuge in Shelters

Young adults under the age of 25 experiencing homelessness will now be able to receive meals at emergency shelters participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Under normal circumstances, USDA only reimburses shelters for meals served to children through age 18, but the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act expanded several nutrition assistance programs to reach the most vulnerable populations experiencing food hardship due to the pandemic, including homeless young adults. More information here.

FSIS Publishes Study on Effects of Antimicrobial Interventions on Indicator Organisms during Beef Carcass Dressing

FSIS recently published a study that compared the performance of several beef carcass interventions. The data analyzed represents samples collected at 139 establishments nationwide, collected during the 2014-2015 Beef Veal Carcass Baseline Survey. The Agency compared the efficacy of different antimicrobial interventions, i.e., those commonly used during sanitary dressing to reduce microorganisms on carcasses. Specifically, FSIS analyzed 1,135 paired carcass samples at post-hide removal (before evisceration) and pre-chill (after interventions) for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Salmonella and indicator organisms including Aerobic Count (AC).

Very few pathogen positives were detected, therefore no association between the use of interventions and pathogen presence (STEC and Salmonella) could be established. The success of interventions in reducing AC concentrations suggests that such interventions may be similarly effective in reducing pathogens. FSIS found an association between the degree of AC reduction and the presence of Salmonella. This points to the need for additional studies: while the level of AC itself was not found to be a good indicator for the presence of pathogens, the drop in the level of AC shows promise as an indicator for the presence of Salmonella.

Results of this study may be used to develop guidelines to industry on the effectiveness of antimicrobial interventions used during sanitary dressing of carcasses.

The study is published in the Journal of Food Protection and is available at: https://doi.org/10.4315/JFP-20-281.

FSIS Posts Microbiological Sampling Results Data

The results of sampling of raw beef, chicken, ready-to-eat products, turkey and siluriformes are available here.

Vilsack Speaks on FY2022 Budget Request

Vilsack notes the increased amount requested for SNAP and other nutrition assistance programs.

USDA Allocates Up to $10 Million to Partner with California and Oregon to Assist Producers Impacted by Drought in Klamath River Basin

Details here.

USDA Invests More Than $330 Million in Specialty Crops Grants, Incentives to Purchase Fruits and Vegetables, and Help for Cotton Producers

USDA announced the availability of more than $330 million to help agricultural producers and organizations in the food supply chain recover from the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding announced is part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative launched in March, and includes $169.9 million for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP), the availability of $75 million for Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program [GusNIP; formerly known as Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI)] grantees and approximately $80 million in payments to domestic users of upland and extra-long staple cotton. USDA also informed dairy producers and processors today about ongoing plans for the Dairy Donation Program (DDP) as established in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. More information here.