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
Koikoi Trading Inc. is recalling certain lots of FU ZHOU FISH BALL products in multiple pack sizes — 200-gram, 400-gram, and 5-pound — because the products may contain undeclared allergens: wheat and
Dan-D Pak brand Raw Macadamia Nuts are being recalled in Canada because of contamination with Salmonella.
The contamination was found as a result of testing by the Canadian Food Inspection
Gerber Products Company is recalling several batches of Gerber Arrowroot Biscuits because of the potential presence of soft plastic and/or paper pieces that should not be consumed.
The material
Gerber Products Company is recalling batches of Gerber Arrowroot Biscuits in Canada because of the potential presence of soft plastic and/or paper pieces that should not be consumed.
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