Laws and Regulations Committee Update – August 3 – 4, 2020

August 7, 2020 in Federal Register Updates

August 3, 2020

FDA

– Salmonella Newport: Red Onions (July 2020)
– FDA Advises Consumers to Avoid Red Onions from California Supplier, Investigation Continues to Find Source
– FDA Announces Voluntary Agreement with Manufacturers to Phase Out Certain Short-Chain PFAS Used in Food Packaging
– USDA/FDA Launches Joint Webinar on Roles and Responsibilities for Cultured Animal Cell Human and Animal Food Products

Recalls

Date	Brand Name(s)	Description	Product Type	Recall Reason	Company
08/01/2020	Thomson Premium, TLC Thomson International, Tender Loving Care, more	Red, Yellow, White and Sweet Yellow Onions	Food & Beverages, Produce	Potential to be contaminated with Salmonella	Thomson International, Inc.

FSIS

– USDA Offers Food Safety Tips for Areas Affected by Hurricane Isaias

Constituent Updates

– Jul 31, 2020 | PDF

USDA and FDA Launch Joint Webinar on Cultured Animal Cell Food and Feed Products
FSIS to Host Webinar on Labeling Claims
FSIS to Post Updated Quarterly Sampling Results
FSIS to Post Next Set of Establishment-Specific Datasets

AMS

– USDA Restricts PACA Violators in Texas from Operating in the Produce Industry

OMB

AGENCY: EPA-OCSPP	RIN: 2070-AK49	Status: Pending Review
TITLE: Pesticides; Agricultural Worker Protection Standard; Revision of the Application Exclusion Zone Requirements
STAGE: Final Rule	ECONOMICALLY SIGNIFICANT: No
** RECEIVED DATE: 07/31/2020	LEGAL DEADLINE: None

August 4, 2020

Federal Register

Agricultural Marketing Service

Rules

National Dairy Promotion and Research Program:

National Dairy Promotion and Research Board Importer Representation

Filed on: 08/04/2020 at 8:45 am Scheduled Pub. Date: 08/05/2020

FR Document: 2020-15134 PDF 7 Pages (91.9 KB) Permalink

Proposed Rules

– Marketing Order:

Walnuts Grown in California

Filed on: 08/04/2020 at 8:45 am Scheduled Pub. Date: 08/05/2020

FR Document: 2020-15135 PDF 68 Pages (221 KB) Permalink

– National Organic Program:

Strengthening Organic Enforcement

Filed on: 08/04/2020 at 8:45 am Scheduled Pub. Date: 08/05/2020

FR Document: 2020-14581 PDF 210 Pages (549 KB) Permalink

Environmental Protection Agency

Proposed Rules

Pesticide Petition Filed for Residues of Pesticide Chemicals in or on Various Commodities (June 2019)

Filed on: 08/04/2020 at 8:45 am Scheduled Pub. Date: 08/05/2020

FR Document: 2020-16459 PDF 7 Pages (97.3 KB) Permalink

Food Safety and Inspection Service

Notices

Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals

Filed on: 08/04/2020 at 8:45 am Scheduled Pub. Date: 08/05/2020

FR Document: 2020-17047 PDF 9 Pages (106 KB) Permalink

· Notice of request for renewal of the approved information collection regarding the regulatory requirements for marking, labeling, and packaging of meat, poultry, and egg products.

FDA

– Salmonella Newport: Red Onions (July 2020) (Updated August 3)

FSIS

– FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Meat and Poultry Taquitos and Chimichangas Containing FDA-Regulated Diced Green Chilies That Have Been Recalled Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination

AMS

– USDA Issues a Default Decision Against Mark Robinson, d.b.a. Robinson Livestock for Violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act

APHIS

– APHIS Announces Sources Sought Notice to Gather Information on Diagnostic Test Kits for the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank
– USDA Begins 2020 Oral Rabies Vaccine Efforts in Eastern United States

@FrankYiannasFDA

· RT @AFDO: AFDO Executive Director Steven Mandernach was featured on the Food Safety Matters Podcast this week discussing the release of FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint. The podcast can be accessed here: https://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/podcast/ep-76-joe-stout-seek-destroy-listeria-foxhole/
· RT @FoodIndustryCO: The FDA’s recently released New Era of Smarter Food Safety blueprint presents a new approach to food safety that builds on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). #foodsafety
· RT @pewhealth: Root cause analyses have driven safety advances in transportation, medicine, and other industries. @US_FDA’s “New Era of Smarter Food Safety” outlines a plan to make this practice central to developing stronger food safety systems.
· If you missed our webinar on FDA’s Fresh Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan, you can still watch it. Click on link at bottom of this page to watch a recorded version. Together, a New Era of Smarter Food Safety. https://www.fda.gov/food/workshops-meetings-webinars-food-and-dietary-supplements/webinar-discuss-leafy-greens-action-plan-07302020-07302020

@FDAfood

· OUTBREAK UPDATE: Thomson International, Inc. recalled all varieties of #onions that could have come in contact w/ potentially contaminated red onions. Recalled products incl red, yellow, white, & sweet yellow onions shipped 5/1/20 to present. http://go.usa.gov/xfm3n
· Onions were distributed to wholesalers, restaurants, and retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Photos of product labels: https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/thomson-international-inc-conducts-voluntary-recall-red-yellow-white-and-sweet-yellow-onions-because
· Consumers, restaurants, & retailers should not eat, sell, or serve red, white, yellow, or sweet onions from Thomson International or products containing such onions. If you cannot tell where your onion is from, you should not eat, sell, or serve it, & should throw it out.
· Symptoms begin to develop 12 to 72 hours after infection. Due to the range in severity of illness, people should consult their healthcare provider if they suspect they have developed symptoms that resemble a Salmonella infection. Salmonella facts: https://www.fda.gov/food/foodborne-pathogens/salmonella-salmonellosis
· RT @foodsafetygov: Planning to can some food this summer? Learn how to preserve your fruits and veggies safely to avoid botulism, a serious and potentially deadly illness: https://cdc.gov/features/homecanning