Laws and Regulations Committee Update – January 8 – 11, 2021

January 8, 2021

Federal Register

Agriculture Department

Notices

Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals

Filed on: 01/08/2021 at 8:45 am Scheduled Pub. Date: 01/11/2021

FR Document: 2021-00229 PDF 5 Pages (77.8 KB) Permalink

• APHIS information collection related to Importation of Animals and Poultry, Animal and Poultry Products, Certain Animal Embryos, Semen and Zoological Animals

FDA

What FDA’s Foods Program Achieved in 2020 to Protect Consumers and the Food Supply

FSIS

FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Not-Ready-to-Eat, Heat Treated, Not Fully Cooked Chicken Enchilada Products Due to Misbranding and an Undeclared Allergen

AMS

Producers of Florida Citrus Vote to Continue Federal Marketing Order

@FrankYiannasFDA

• [RT @FoodSafetyTech]: In a Year of ‘Unprecedented Challenges’ FDA’s Food Program Achieved So Much – https://foodsafetytech.com/news_article/in-a-year-of-unprecedented-challenges-fdas-food-program-achieved-so-much/… – http://foodsafetytech.com
• In 2020, FDA’s Foods Program worked to help ensure continuity of the food supply chain & keep food workers & consumers alike safe during the #COVID19 pandemic, while releasing the New Era of Smarter Food Safety & more! Read #FDAVoices for year-in-review.

@SteveFDA

• #2020atFDA: We’ve advanced several important new food safety initiatives during 2020.
• In July, we released the New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint, which outlines the steps FDA will take over the next decade to create a more digital, traceable and safer human and animal food system.
• We also outlined a collaborative, action-oriented approach to enhancing the safety of leafy greens and help prevent the recurring outbreaks of Shiga-toxin producing E. coli, the 2020 Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan.

January 11, 2021

FDA

Better Data for a Better Understanding of the Use and Safety Profile of Cannabidiol (CBD) Products

Recalls

HHS

HHS Finalizes Unprecedented Regulatory Reform

FSIS

Notices

Constituent Update

Jan 08, 2021 | PDF

• Establishment-Specific Datasets Now Available
• FSIS Posts Updated Dataset on Import Refusals

AMS

USDA Establishes Weekly Report to Highlight Seasonable and Perishable Product Trends

USDA Approves Hemp Production Plans for Rhode Island, the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians

USDA Extends Harmonized GAP Assistance Program for Fruit and Vegetable Growers in 16 States

USWA FY 2020 Annual Report

OMB

NIH

Statement on the establishment of the Office of Nutrition Research within the NIH Office of the Director

@FrankYiannasFDA

• Increasingly around the world, consumers will be able to scan a food item & know where it came from. Here’s an example of a pilot in Australia. Well done @nswdpi. A New Era of Smarter Food Safety is dawning. http://fruitnet.com/produceplus/article/183881/nsw-tightens-melon-traceability… #foodtraceability

@SteveFDA

• Today, I had the opportunity to participate in an @AllHealthPolicy event to discuss FDA’s role in the #COVID19 response & best practices/lessons learned to date, as well as unparalleled contributions to public health FDA has made over the past year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4szoCxrBMvs&feature=youtu.be
• #2020atFDA: Our Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition launched two new consumer education campaigns this year.
• One, the New Nutrition Facts label to help consumers use the updated Nutrition Facts label on food packages to make healthier food choices.
• Another, called Feed Your Mind, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to provide science-based information on genetically engineered foods, commonly called GMOs.
• Real-world data on CBD use and safety has a crucial role alongside data from other types of studies & is part of the foundational science needed to more fully understand the safety profile of products containing CBD #FDAVoices https://www.fda.gov/news-events/fda-voices/better-data-better-understanding-use-and-safety-profile-cannabidiol-cbd-products

@FDAanimalhealth

• Pet Owners Paw prints Learn the signs of aflatoxin poisoning and if you suspect a pet’s food may contain unsafe levels of aflatoxin, act quickly to stop feeding the suspected food and contact a veterinarian ASAP https://go.usa.gov/xAn5R
• Aflatoxins are produced by a type of mold that can grow on some ingredients (e.g., Ear of maize ) that go into pet food. They can be there even if you can’t see mold on the food. At high levels, aflatoxins can cause illness, liver damage, and death in pets.
• Pets with aflatoxin poisoning may be sluggish, have ↓appetite, vomit, be jaundiced (yellowish tint to the eyes or gums due to liver damage), and/or have diarrhea. In severe cases, it can be fatal. Sometimes pets may have liver damage but not show signs of illness.