US – Two years later, the effect of FSMA on the regulated community has been modest. This is not because FSMA was overhyped. Rather, it is because the most significant regulations are not yet in effect. But important changes are on the way.   On January 4, 2011, the Food […]

The United States implemented mandatory country of origin labelling (MCOOL) which became effective in March 2009 (USDA AMS, 2009a,b), write Glynn T. Tonsor, Jayson L. Lusk, Ted C. Schroeder, and Mykel R. Taylor in a research paper for Kansas State University.   MCOOL requires grocery retailers to provide country-of-origin labeling […]

US – Calling it vital to the US pork industry’s ability to more quickly control and eradicate foreign animal diseases and keep export markets open, the National Pork Producers Council has praised the US Department of Agriculture for issuing a final rule to implement a national animal identification system.   […]

NEW MEXICO, US – New Mexico State Senator, Peter Wirth, has pre-filed a proposed amendment to the New Mexico Food Act to require the labelling of genetically engineered (GE) food and feed.   The amendment (SB 18) was drafted with support from the consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch […]

WASHINGTON – National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Chief Veterinarian Kathy Simmons issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) final animal disease traceability (ADT) rule, which was announced by Secretary Vilsack this afternoon.   “NCBA has been an industry leader […]

US – The United States’ mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) program was back in the news last week as the World Trade Organization (WTO) announced a deadline of 23 May 2013 for compliance after its ruling that the program violates international trade agreements, writes Steve Meyer in his weekly “Market Preview” […]

Before long, nearly everyone in the food supply chain should have tools to trace products back to the point of origin. It’s the law, and it’s good for business.   Over the summer, cantaloupes tainted by two strains of salmonella entered the food supply chain, killing at least three people […]

The Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) programme is a State and national industry-led effort that provides guidelines to support the production of quality beef. The goal of the program is to raise consumer confidence in beef quality through recommended management techniques and a commitment to quality within segments of the beef […]

The Pilot Traceability Project was announced as of last week. This project is intended to provide a structure for tracing ingredients back to their source in the event of a recall.   In the wake of recent recalls the progress of implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) has […]

Earlier this year, President Obama signed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) (P.L. 111-353), a law that will overhaul U.S. food safety for the first time since the Great Depression.   The legislation passed in response to a growing public concern about the integrity of both local and imported […]