A judge in California has overturned the state’s ban on foie gras. The delicacy is made from fattened duck liver and is produced using “gavage” — a method of force-feeding a bird through a tube inserted in its mouth. The ban was passed in 2004 and went into effect in 2012. Its supporters argued that the production of foie gras is inhumane. Questions have also been raised about the food safety of foie gras. The argument, which is rejected by U.S. Department of Agriculture, is that force-fed birds develop bacteria or toxins in their blood, resulting in a disease that can prove fatal before slaughter. U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson issued the ruling on Wednesday, writing that the federal Poultry Products Inspection Act regulates the sale and distribution of foie gras and trumps California’s law. The ban had been challenged by California restaurant owners and foie gras producers in Canada and New York. Animal-rights groups immediately asked California Attorney General Kamala Harris to appeal the ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Her office indicated the judge’s ruling was being reviewed.
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The 2-year-old petition from Animal Partisan to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), calling upon the agency to share its federal jurisdiction over animal abuse with state
The Food and Drug Administration uses import alerts to enforce U.S. food safety regulations for food from foreign countries. The agency updates and modifies the alerts as needed.
Recent
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has updated its public calendar to provide information about its meetings in March and April.
It lists meetings held by the
IAEA and FAO are to hold an event next year focusing on the use of nuclear technologies for food safety.
The International Symposium on Food Safety and Control will take
Mahrousa brand tahini is being recalled in Canada because of Salmonella contamination.
The implicated tahini is sold in jars with Arabic writing on the labels. The labels do not have
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expanded a warning about oysters from Canada because of contamination with norovirus.
Previously the FDA warned of oysters harvested only on Dec.
As part of its enforcement activities, the Food and Drug Administration sends warning letters to entities under its jurisdiction. Some letters are not posted for public view until weeks or
Registration is now open for the 2026 Food Safety Summit, taking place May 11–14 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL.
Recognized as one of the
