The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service will host a webinar on August 18, 2020 to discuss animal raising claims made on food labels.
FSIS to Host Webinar on Animal Raising Claims on Labels
Senate Considers Revoking Line Speed Waivers Amid Pandemic
Senate Booker has introduced Senate Bill 4338, the Safe Line Speeds in COVID-19 Act, a companion bill to H.R. 7521, which proposes to suspend all current and future USDA line speed waivers amidst the pandemic.
Bill Would Suspend Increases in Line Speeds
H.R. 7521 proposes to suspend active and prohibit future waivers for high line speeds in slaughterhouses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
House Appropriations Bill Would Block Line Speed Waivers
The House Agriculture Appropriations bill would revoke all line speed waivers under the Federal Meat Inspection Act or Poultry Products Inspection Act.
FSIS Rejects PCRM’s Petition to Require COVID-19 Testing of Products
The Food Safety Inspection Service has denied a petition and petition addendum filed by Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in May, requesting that the agency require meat and poultry processors test their products for the presence of COVID-19, disclose to local health authorities and the public the number of workers infected with COVID-19, and include warnings that products have not been “certified virus-free.
OIG Finds Discrepancies in FSIS Labeling Regulation
The Office of Inspector General’s latest audit of controls over meat, poultry, and egg product labels found that approximately 15% of approved required labels and 18% of approved generic labels were likely inaccurate, incomplete, or unsupported.
OIG Finds USDA Used Questionable Worker Safety Data
According to the Washington Post, the Office of the Inspector General has concluded the United States Department of Agriculture concealed and altered data in order to promote the new pig inspection system.
FSIS Proposes Voluntary USDA Inspection of Yak
The Food Safety and Inspection Service has proposed to include yak and other farmed Bovidae, Cervidae, and Camelidae species among the “exotic animals” eligible for voluntary USDA inspection. The agency is accepting comments on the proposed rule until July 31, 2020.
Smithfield Foods Sued Over “Safest” Pork Claims
The Organic Consumers Association, represented by the Richman Law Group, has filed suit against Smithfield Foods, alleging that the company’s representation of its products as the “safest” on the market is false and misleading.