A USDA report published earlier this month estimated that foodborne pathogens impose a $15.5 billion burden on the U.S. public annually. The report notes that there are 9.4 million foodborne-pathogen caused illnesses in the U.S. annually, despite the fact that
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DeCosters of Quality Egg LLC sentenced
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On April 13, 2015, U.S. District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett sentenced Peter and Austin (Jack) DeCosters to three months in jail, one year probation, and a $100,000 fine for their role in causing a salmonella outbreak in 2010. The…
US District Court dismisses challenge to USDA’s new Poultry Inspection System
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US District Court for the District of Columbia has dismissed a law suit challenging USDA’s New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS).
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson held that the plaintiffs, the consumer rights group Food & Water Watch Inc (FWW) and two…
Obama earmarks $1.6 billion for food-safety efforts in 2016 budget
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The Obama administration’s 2016 budget, released in early February, would increase FDA’s food safety budget by $109.5 million.
This is perhaps unsurprising, given that all of the major Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rules are set to be finalized by…
Legislation introduced to give FSIS mandatory recall authority
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Recent legislation proposed by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand would require USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to recall meat and poultry found to be contaminated with pathogens. The Meat and Poultry Recall Notification Act would require that FSIS recall unsafe…
China bans imports of US poultry and eggs in response to bird-flu fears
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China has banned all imports of US poultry and eggs following the detection of avian influenza in the Pacific Northwest late last year, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
China’s actions follow the discoveries of a strain of…
USDA proposed rule to change meal pattern requirements for day cares
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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Services issued a proposed rule on January 15, 2015 to change the meal pattern requirements for day care homes receiving federal dollars under the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
California AG fowls out on foie gras ban
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Restaurants across California may no longer need to find creative ways to put foie gras on their menus, as a California federal court has ruled that federal law preempts California’s ban on the sale of the delicacy and enjoined the…
Genetically engineered potatoes to lessen acrylamide potential no longer regulated
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Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), US Department of Agriculture Administrator, Kevin Shea, recently sent out a notice that J.R. Simplot Co.’s (Simplot) potatoes designated as InnateTM potatoes are no longer subject to APHIS’s regulations governing the introduction…
USDA approves poultry processing from four Chinese plants
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On November 5, 2014, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (“USDA”) Food Safety and Inspection Service (“FSIS”) issued a constituent update approving four Chinese poultry processing plants’ ability to export cooked chicken into the United States. The USDA also announced…