The Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued a public notice saying Japan is free of foot-and-mouth disease, so importing whole cuts of boneless beef from Japan may resume. Other ruminant meat and meat byproducts, as well as fresh pork, live ruminants, and live swine, remain prohibited due to Japan's status for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, classical swine fever, and swine vesicular disease, it said. The action is effective Aug. 17.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails July 31 announcing changes to some 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 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued emails July 23 announcing changes to some 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 reports that the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF) invites member countries and observer organizations to participate in the following eight electronic working groups:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced in an email, sent July 30, that on July 18 it postponed the use of risk-based sampling (RBS) procedures on shipments of plants for planting at plant inspection stations (PIS) after only two days of implementation. PIS managers were instructed to return to the use of traditional sampling methods until further notice, it said.
The Agricultural Marketing Service issued a correction to its June 6 final rule amending the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances for the 2012 sunset review. As published, the modification to the introductory text for the listing for colors at 7 CFR 205.606(d) inadvertently removed paragraphs (d)(1) through (d)(19). These paragraphs are necessary to identify the specific nonorganic colors that can be used as ingredients in processed products labeled as “organic” if organic forms are not commercially available, AMS said. AMS corrected the final regulations by reinserting paragraphs (d)(1) through (19).