The Food and Drug Administration has issued a notice extending the comment period for its November 2007 advance notice of proposed rulemaking on what new reference values it should use to calculate the percent daily value (DV) in the Nutrition Facts Label (for food) and the Supplement Facts label (for supplements) and what factors it should consider in establishing such new reference values. In addition, the FDA requested comments on whether it should require that certain nutrients be added or removed from the Nutrition Facts and Supplement Facts labels.
The U.S. Trade Representative added the Czech Republic to the agency’s Special 301 Watch List of countries deemed havens for intellectual property infringers. “We remain concerned at the continuing lack of effective enforcement measures against traders openly selling pirated and counterfeit goods in the notorious border markets,” USTR Susan Schwab said. But she said the Czech government is developing antipiracy tools. The listing came at the end of a USTR out-of-cycle review of the Czech Republic. The country didn’t appear on the regular or priority watch lists in 2007’s Special 301 Report, released in April. The RIAA thanked Schwab for the designation. “The government of the Czech Republic has thus far failed to rein in the blatant lawlessness exhibited at its many border markets,” said Neil Turkewitz, executive vice president-international.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has issued a notice requesting comments by 10 a.m. on February 11, 2008 regarding whether any foreign countries should be identified under Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974 (Trade Act) (19 USC 2242), which is commonly referred to as the "Special 301" provisions of the Trade Act.
The Food and Drug Administration has issued concurrent notices announcing the availability of separate draft guidances on (1) the labeling of dietary supplements and (2) the labeling of non-prescription human drug products marketed without an approved application.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a final rule, effective August 17, 2007, that amends 7 CFR Parts 305, 319, and 352 by revising, reorganizing, and making substantive changes to the regulations pertaining to the prevention of pests in imported fresh fruits and vegetables.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Revenue Division Bond Team (Bond Team) has posted to its Web site its November 19, 2007 version of its Current Issues which has been updated to add a section on the withdrawal of continuous bond submissions.
The Food and Drug Administration has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking to request comments on what new reference values it should use to calculate the percent daily value (DV) in the Nutrition Facts Label (for food) and the Supplement Facts label (for supplements) and what factors it should consider in establishing such new reference values.
The Food and Drug Administration has released its "Food Protection Plan: an Integrated Strategy for Protecting the Nation's Food Supply," which addresses both food safety and food defense for domestic and imported products, and encompasses three core elements.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a notice reminding the public of the fiscal year 2008 (October 1, 2007 - September 30, 2008) user fees for agricultural quarantine and inspection (AQI) services provided in connection with certain commercial vessels, commercial trucks, commercial railroad cars, commercial aircraft, and international airline passengers arriving at ports in the customs territory of the U.S.
Port Security News reports that in test cases at the Los Angeles and Chicago international airports, Transportation Security Administration screeners failed 75% and 60% of the time, respectively, to find fake small bomb parts (some the size of pen caps) that were smuggled onboard airplanes. However, in San Francisco, where screeners work for a private company, the failure rate was 20%. (Port Security News, dated 10/22/07, available at http://portsecuritynews.com/news/templates/registered.asp?articleid=1790&zoneid=1)