In This Week’s Edition:
- FDA Publishes Final FSVP Guidance
- FSA Final Rule on Pandemic Assistance and Agricultural Disaster Assistance Programs
- FDA Releases 2022 Food Code
- FDA: Food Labels Now Must List Sesame as an Allergen
- FDA and Stop Foodborne Illness to Co-Host Webinar on Food Safety Culture Learning and Training
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service FOIA Request Report Update
- FDA Issues Letters of Acknowledgement for Infant Formula Transition Plan
- USDA Secretary Discusses Initiatives at Farm Bureau Conference
- Addition of Singani to the Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits
- FDA and Federal Partners Launch Study on the Role of Seafood Consumption in Child Growth and Development
- Registration Open for FDA Scientific Workshop Exploring Research on Nutrients and Environmental Contaminants in Foods and Child Development
- 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 Publishes Final FSVP Guidance
The final guidance is available here. The guidance provides additional information on the definition of FSVP importer among other things.
FSA Final Rule on Pandemic Assistance Programs Agricultural Disaster Assistance Programs
The FSA final rule announces Phase 2 of the Emergency Relief Program, which provides assistance to producers who suffered crop losses due to wildfires, hurricanes, floods, derechos, excessive heat, winter storms, freeze (including a polar vortex), smoke exposure, excessive moisture, and qualifying droughts occurring in calendar years 2020 and 2021. It also announces Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program, a new program that provides support for agricultural producers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
FDA Releases 2022 Food Code
FDA issued the 2022 edition of the FDA Food Code, which provides guidance to state and local authorities and retailers to help mitigate foodborne illness risks at retail and provide a uniform set of national standards for retail food safety.
FDA: Food Labels Now Must List Sesame as an Allergen
As of January 1, 2023, sesame is required to be labeled as an allergen on packaged foods, including dietary supplements. Sesame joins eight other foods already declared as major food allergens by federal law.
FDA and Stop Foodborne Illness to Co-Host Webinar on Food Safety Culture Learning and Training
FDA announced the sixth in the ongoing series of webinars exploring food safety culture will take place on January 25, 2023, from 12:00 to 1:00 pm ET. The webinar series Collaborating on Culture in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety is in partnership with Stop Foodborne Illness, a non-profit public health organization.
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service FOIA Request Report Update
See USDA’s FSIS FOIA request report for December 2022 here.
FDA Issues Letters of Acknowledgement for Infant Formula Transition Plan
FDA is announcing that the agency has sent letters of acknowledgement to all manufacturers of infant formula that previously received letters of enforcement discretion for specific infant formula products and have expressed interest in taking steps to remain on the U.S. market. To increase the diversity of those supplying infant formula and support a stable supply of infant formula in the U.S., the FDA is providing a pathway for manufacturers of these infant formula products to continue marketing their products while they work toward meeting all FDA requirements.
USDA Secretary Discusses Initiatives at Farm Bureau Conference
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced several major developments at the U.S. Department of Agriculture intended to benefit farmers, ranchers and producers. Read his full statement here.
Addition of Singani to the Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits
TTB has issued a final rule which amends the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau regulations that set forth the standards of identity for distilled spirits to include “Singani” as a type of brandy that is a distinctive product of Bolivia.
FDA and Federal Partners Launch Study on the Role of Seafood Consumption in Child Growth and Development
The National Academies Committee to Review the Role of Seafood in Child Growth and Development will webcast their first public information-gathering session. The purpose of this meeting is for the committee to hear from the FDA and other federal agencies that are sponsoring the study on the committee’s task and the scope of the questions to be addressed in their scientific review.
Registration Open for FDA Scientific Workshop Exploring Research on Nutrients and Environmental Contaminants in Foods and Child Development
FDA announced that together with the National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, they will be co-hosting a two-day virtual workshop on research in risk communication, environmental contaminants in food, and the role of nutrition as they relate to child development. This workshop supports the FDA’s Closer to Zero action plan, and their goal to reduce dietary exposure to arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury while maintaining access to foods that help to provide nutrients essential for child growth and development, and that promote health and prevent disease.
FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Status Update
This week’s updates are:
- No New Updates
FSIS Updates Lists of Foreign Establishments Eligible to Export to U.S.
FDA Import Alerts
The latest FDA import alerts include pesticides, heavy metal contamination, salmonella, and more.
FDA Warning Letters
Tiger Vapes |
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act/Adulterated/Misbranded |
Chevaline Investments dba VaporCore |
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act/Adulterated/Misbranded |
Chevaline Investments dba VaporCore |
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act/Adulterated/Misbranded |
Purecraft LLC |
Unapproved and Misbranded Products Related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) |
Medical Mikes, Inc. |
Unapproved and Misbranded Products Related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) |
San-Rey Produce Inc. |
Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) |
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. |
CGMP/Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API)/Adulterated |
Florida Gold Foods LLC |
CGMP/Food/Prepared, Packed or Held Under Insanitary Conditions/Adulterated |
Auto-Chlor System LLC |
CGMP/Finished Pharmaceuticals/Adulterated |
Aizu Olympus Co., Ltd. |
CGMP/QSR/Medical Devices/PMA/Adulterated/Misbranded |