In This Week’s Edition:
• USDA Announces Inaugural Federal Advisory Committee on Urban Agriculture
• AMS Proposes to Allow Low-Acyl Gellan Gum in Organics
• USDA, DOJ Launch Online Tool Allowing Farmers, Ranchers to Report Anticompetitive Practices
• USDA Issues Transitional School Nutrition Standards
• USDA Super Bowl Party Food Safety Tips
• FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Status Update
• FSIS Updates Lists of Foreign Establishments Eligible to Export to U.S.
• FDA Import Alerts
• FDA Warning Letters
USDA Announces Inaugural Federal Advisory Committee on Urban Agriculture
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack selected 12 members to serve on the USDA inaugural Secretary’s Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture to provide input on policy development and to help identify barriers to urban agriculture as USDA works to promote urban farming and the economic opportunities it provides in cities across the country.
AMS Proposes to Allow Low-Acyl Gellan Gum in Organics
Details here.
USDA, DOJ Launch Online Tool Allowing Farmers, Ranchers to Report Anticompetitive Practices\
Farmers and ranchers now can anonymously report potentially unfair and anticompetitive practices in the livestock and poultry sectors using an online tool the USDA and DOJ have launched.
USDA Issues Transitional School Nutrition Standards
USDA announced updates to the school nutrition standards.
The new final rule – Child Nutrition Programs: Transitional Standards for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium – establishes the following requirements beginning SY 2022-2023:
• Milk: Schools and child care providers serving participants ages six and older may offer flavored low-fat (1%) milk in addition to nonfat flavored milk and nonfat or low-fat unflavored milk;
• Whole Grains: At least 80% of the grains served in school lunch and breakfast each week must be whole grain-rich; and
• Sodium: The weekly sodium limit for school lunch and breakfast will remain at the current level in SY 2022-2023. For school lunch only, there will be a 10% decrease in the limit in SY 2023-2024. This aligns with the U.S Food and Drug Administration’s recently released guidance that establishes voluntary sodium reduction targets for processed, packaged, and prepared foods in the U.S.
All other nutrition standards, including fruit and vegetable requirements, will remain the same as the 2012 standards.
FDA has issued a statement of support for the new standards.
USDA Super Bowl Party Food Safety Tips
The consumer-oriented food safety tips are here.
FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Status Update
This week’s updates are:
• The Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak linked to red, yellow, and white onions has closed and the investigation has ended.
• A new outbreak has been added to the table: Enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) O143:H26 in a not yet identified food.
CORE Investigation Table
FSIS Updates Lists of Foreign Establishments Eligible to Export to U.S.
• Brazil
• Mexico
• Spain
FDA Import Alerts
The latest FDA import alerts include seafood HACCP, labeling exemptions, FSVP compliance, and more.
FDA Warning Letters
Hookies and Bookies
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act/Adulterated/Misbranded
Fantasia Distribution Inc.
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act/Adulterated/Misbranded
D&C Seafood, Inc
Seafood HACCP/CGMP for Foods/Adulterated/Insanitary Conditions
Picket Fence Creamery LLC
Food Labeling/Misbranded
OFP Ingredients LLC
CGMP/Food/Prepared, Packed or Held Under Insanitary Conditions/Adulterated
VHRK Food Inc.
Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP)
Ding Tea Balboa
Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP)
5,000 Years Foods, Inc.
CGMP/Food/Prepared, Packed or Held Under Insanitary Conditions/Adulterated
Vapor Candy, LLC d/b/a The Vape Stop
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act/Adulterated/Misbranded
Frozen Wheels, LLC
Drug Product/Adulterated
Chain Vapez LLC
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act/Adulterated/Misbranded
Molino Enterprises One, Inc.
Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP)
Applied Health Solutions, Inc.
New Drug/Misbranded
Blackbeard Vapor LLC
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act/Adulterated/Misbranded
Blackbeard Vapor LLC
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act/Adulterated/Misbranded
JDVapour LLC d/b/a McVapour E-Cig’s & Novelties
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act/Adulterated/Misbranded