Environmental Working Group

Four petitions for policy changes — one from 2016 — have received final rulings from USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

The oldest petition was from the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) requesting that the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) amend its poultry products labeling regulations to define “free

Continue Reading FSIS delivers the final word on four food safety petitions

The USDA has announced that animal-raising claims in the future must be justified. While not specific, the action responds to some recent petitions received by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

Animal-raising claims often come up in petitions to FSIS for policy changes.

his year, Perdue Farms filed a

Continue Reading USDA launches effort to strengthen substantiation of animal-raising claims

Consumer Reports and the Environmental Working Group are halfway home in their strategy to ban harmful chemicals in food. They’ve focused on California where a slow but steady approach has landed a favorable 54-11 Assembly vote for AB 418 banning five harmful chemicals from candy, cereals, and other processed food.

Continue Reading California Assembly passes first-in-the-nation ban on chemicals in processed food

Scott Faber, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs, and Kalena Wojtala, a J.D. candidate at Vermont Law School and an intern working for the Environmental Working Group (EWG), have filed the latest petition with USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

In the petition filed on April 27, the EWG

Continue Reading Low-carbon beef is an oxymoron that some say should not be used in labeling

Dear Editor,

I saw your story regarding the “Dirty Dozen” list and would appreciate your consideration of updating your content to include some additional facts and information for your readers so there is a balanced perspective and inclusive of peer reviewed studies, not just claims from Environmental Working Group.

Peer

Continue Reading Letter to the Editor: ‘Dirty Dozen’ requires a second look

The Environmental Working Group has come out with its “Dirty Dozen” list of fruits and vegetables, with strawberries topping the list again.

The group has compiled its list for several years to highlight produce with pesticide residues. All of the fresh fruits and vegetables on the list have residues below

Continue Reading Environmental Working Group unveils its Dirty Dozen, Clean 15 for 2023

— OPINION —

Dear Dr. Califf, FDA Commissioner
February 6, 2023

As a broad coalition of FDA stakeholders, including industry and consumer groups and state food regulators, we appreciate the attention you have given to the problems in FDA’s Foods Program, which were highlighted in the Reagan-Udall Foundation (RUF) report in December.

Continue Reading Coalition has many questions about how FDA Commissioner will protect consumers with new organizational chart

Editor’s note: Following is a letter sent by Consumer Reports and a coalition of concerned entities (see list below) regarding the leadership at the Food and Drug Administration in reference to the recent Reagan-Udall Foundation report on the agency.

TO:
Dr. Robert Califf Commissioner
Food and Drug Administration 10903 New

Continue Reading Consumer groups call on FDA Commissioner to restore teeth to agency’s leadership

Reactions to yesterday’s report on the inner workings of the food side of the Food And Drug Administration were cautiously optimistic. The commissioner of the agency was less than specific in his response to the report.

Commissioner Robert Califf commissioned the report from the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA in

Continue Reading FDA Commissioner, vested groups respond to report on inner workings of FDA food program