I was involved in urban agriculture before I heard of “urban agriculture.” In 2009, I worked on a farm and helped a community garden in Portland, OR. At that time, growing food within the city limits was not uncommon for a food-loving city like Portland. But now you
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Two Apolitical Ways to Support Local Food Safety
You’ve heard it before: “Support your local farmer,” “Eat local,” “Buy local,” etc. But have you heard the term “Support local food safety?” We could argue about the definition of “local” or whether you should support local foods. But, ultimately, if the phrase “Support your local farmer (or coop, or
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Controversy Continues Over Listing Evaporated Cane Juice on Ingredient Labels
Recent action by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may smooth the path for food manufacturers to continue to declare sweeteners derived from cane syrup (such as sugar) as “Evaporated Cane Juice” (ECJ) on food labels, at least for the foreseeable future. Last month, FDA announced that it
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Tribes Still Troubled by FDA’s ‘Inadequate’ Consultation Policy
With less than 30 days notice, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finally set a date for face-to-face consultation with American Indian tribes and pueblos on its proposed rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). On March 27, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine Michael Taylor
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Industry Associations Hope FSMA Rules Won’t Duplicate Marketing Agreements, Orders
National and regional marketing agreements and orders may give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) some options as it continues to issue and revise rules to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
In comments to the FSMA proposed rule for produce safety, a number of industry
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Food Ingredients: Trade Secrets vs. Public Disclosure
Can a food manufacturer determine that an ingredient is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and maintain trade secrets
information on that ingredient? The answer to this question may be more perplexing than Congress originally intended when it created the GRAS exemption to food additives in 1958. At that time, food
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Is the GRAS Process Broken?
From spices to preservatives, U.S. food manufacturers have access to thousands of globally sourced substances to enhance the flavor, texture, and appeal of their products. But some question whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) adequately regulates the safety of these abundant substances. Groups such as The Pew Charitable
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What About Marijuana Food Safety?
A considerable paradox exists in U.S. food policy. Although the federal government has named food safety as a top priority, an entire pocket of the food industry remains largely unregulated by, or at least largely under the radar of, most federal agencies. That pocket is marijuana-infused food. The term
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Tracing Food Controversies Back to GRAS
Update: This article has been edited to remove references to caramel coloring. What do trans fat, caffeine and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have in common? Each of these distinct, seemingly unrelated food controversies actually shares a common origin: the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) process. In fact, a wide
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The GRAS Process: How Companies Legally Add Ingredients to Food
Do you ever wonder how controversial ingredients end up in your food in the first place? For instance, why are energy drink companies allowed to add novel ingredients such as botanical extracts to their products? And why were companies ever allowed to use partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), a major
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