The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails Sept. 25 announcing changes to Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service again expanded the Public Health Alert for XL Foods (Canadian Establishment 038) to include all beef and beef products produced on Aug. 24, 27, 28, 29 and Sept. 5, in response to XL Foods’ expansion of its recall. Products subject to the recall include, but are not limited to, steaks, roasts, mechanically tenderized steaks and roasts, and ground beef.
The Agricultural Marketing Service issued an interim rule, effective Oct. 21, to renew without change the exemption (allowed use) for vitamins and minerals on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances for organic products. AMS said it is continuing to review comments requested in a Jan. 12 proposed rule on the 2012 sunset review on vitamins and minerals in organic products, which proposed to continue the exemption for nutrient vitamins and minerals on the National List for 5 years. However, it is extending the exemption In light of the impending Oct. 21 sunset date. Comments on this interim rule are due by Dec. 26.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails Sept. 25 announcing changes to Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
The Humane Society filed a challenge Sept. 24 of the National Pork Board’s use of “checkoff” producer assessments collected from pork producers and importers, alleging that the 2006 purchase of the “Pork: The Other White Meat” trademark constitutes a gift from the Pork Board to the National Pork Producers Council that is being used to frustrate Humane Society initiatives. The Pork Board is paying $3 million over 20 years for the trademark, contributing as much as 32 percent of the NPPC’s budget, the Humane Society said. The payments allow the Pork Board and the NPPC to evade federal restrictions against the use of pork checkoff dollars for purposes of influencing legislation and government policy, it said.
France is set to pass a bill banning Bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging, according to the Foreign Agricultural Service. The law would ban, as of Jan. 1, 2013, production, import, export, and distribution of any food packaging containing BPA. The bill has already been passed by the French National Assembly, and a French Senate committee will begin examining the bill on Oct. 3. A full vote will probably take place on Oct. 15, FAS said. French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault announced that the French government will support final approval of the bill.