On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released its draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed produce safety rule under the Food Safety Modernization Act. The statement considers the four areas in the proposed rule that could significantly affect the environment: the definition of covered farms, water quality standards, the use of raw manure and compost, and provisions affecting domesticated and wild animals. The water standards were found to potentially have a significant adverse environmental impact, but FDA noted that most farms would not need to switch from surface water to groundwater or chemically treat their water because of a provision in the rule’s supplemental changes which would allow time for potentially dangerous microbes in agricultural water to die off. “There are critical groundwater shortages in certain parts of the country that would exist even if this proposed rule were not enacted,” the agency said in a Constituent Update. “Actions that may lead to increases in groundwater drawdown in parts of the country experiencing severe shortages would be considered a significant environmental impact.” A comment period of 60 days has opened for the draft EIS. Comments will be accepted until Friday, March 13, and the agency said it does not plan to extend the comment period. FDA will also hold a public meeting on the EIS on Tuesday, Feb. 10, in College Park, MD. The agency will consider public comments while drafting the final EIS and evaluate the potential alternatives it presents before finalizing the produce safety rule.
The News Desk team at Food Safety News covers breaking developments, regulatory updates, recalls, and key topics shaping food safety today. These articles are produced collaboratively by our editorial staff.
A judge in South Africa has criticized the conduct of two health agencies and told them to pay costs in a case related to the Tiger Brands Listeria incident.
The
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
A leading academic has warned that any plans for UK regulators to help industry grow could end up repeating past mistakes and impacting public health.
As part of modernization plans,
The FDA has issued final guidance for manufacturers of infant formula and laboratories conducting testing on infant formula.
The guidance was developed to help manufacturers and laboratories in the design,
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
Synear Foods USA LLC, a Chatsworth, Calif. establishment, is recalling 71,603 pounds of frozen not-ready-to-eat (NRTE) pork and crab soup dumpling products due to misbranding and undeclared allergens, the
The a2 Milk Company (“a2MC”) has recalled three specific batches of its imported a2 Platinum Premium USA label infant formula 0-12 months because of the presence of cereulide. The product
JXK Enterprises Inc. is recalling Boner Bears Chocolate, Lot #BB21125, after being notified that FDA laboratory analysis confirmed the presence of sildenafil, an active ingredient in the FDA-approved prescription drug
