USDA Announces Staff Changes
The incoming Biden administration has announced the following staff appointments at USDA:
- David Grahn was named Principal Deputy General Counsel in the Office of General Counsel.
- Farah Ahmad was named Chief of Staff in the Office of the Under Secretary for Rural Development.
- Olugbenga Ajilore was named Senior Advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary for Rural Development.
- Mike Schmidt was named Senior Advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation.
- Marcus Graham was named Deputy Administrator for Field Operations in the Farm Service Agency.
- Matt Herrick was named Director of Communications in the Office of Communications.
- Gregory Parham, D.V.M., was named Interim Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration.
- Katharine Ferguson was named Chief of Staff in the Office of the Secretary.
- Robert Bonnie was named Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Senior Advisor, Climate, in the Office of the Secretary.
- Sara Bleich, PhD was named Senior Advisor, COVID-19, in the Office of the Secretary.
- Kumar Chandran was named Senior Advisor, Nutrition, in the Office of the Secretary.
- Justo Robles was named White House Liaison in the Office of the Secretary.
- Stacy Dean has been named Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services (FNCS).
- Justin Maxson, CEO of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, has been named Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development.
- Mae Wu has been named Deputy Under Secretary of Marketing and Regulatory Programs.
More details here, here and here.
APHIS e-Permit System Capabilities Expanded
On February 1, 2021, importers can:
- Apply for more fruits and vegetables commodities by choosing different process types such as fresh, dried, and frozen, among others
- Renew, amend, and cancel your permits that have been issued in APHIS eFile.
APHIS Provides Importers More Time to Comply with New Entry Filing Requirements
APHIS has announced a two-stage enforcement of the APHIS Core message set to allow trade to adjust to the data requirements. The first stage of enforcement will commence on January 25, 2021, requiring filers to submit message set data for regulated products. During this time, APHIS will continue to maintain “warning” level Harmonized Tariff Code flagging (refer to Federal Register Notice APHIS-2017-0069). Beginning March 15, 2021, during the second and final stage, APHIS will fully enforce APHIS Core message set submission using “reject” severity flagging. The delay until March 15, 2021, is technical only; filers should start submitting APHIS Core message set data on January 25, 2021 (see previous CSMS messages 45472348 and 44840710). APHIS provides a multitude of resources that include the APHIS ACE website, the APHIS Core Implementation Guide, and the APHIS Supplemental Trade Guide. For individual support, please contact the APHIS Core message set help desk at ACE.ITDS@usda.gov. |
Latest FDA Import Alerts
The latest FDA import alerts are available here and include misbranding, salmonella, crabmeat and shrimp.
Latest FDA Warning Letters:
Posted Date |
Company |
Issuing Office |
Subject |
01/19/2021 |
Bodyhealth.com, LLC |
Division of Human and Animal Food Operations East IV |
New Drug/Misbranded |
01/19/2021 |
White Trading Corporation |
Division of Southwest Imports |
Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) |
Please contact Erik Lieberman at elieberman@usfoodimports.com for additional information. |