Food Safety: Page 53

Federal Spending Bill Includes Funding Increase For FSMA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will receive a total of $2.72 billion in discretionary funding in the bill. Within this total, food safety activities are increased by $104.5 million.

The president’s budget request for fiscal year 2016 asked for a $109.5-million increase for FDA. The House’s spending bill is much closer to matching that request than the $41.5-million and $45-million increases allocated for FDA’s food safety activities by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, respectively.

FDA Halts Vermont Dairy Farm That Drugged Cattle

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

The FDA found that the company offered for sale cows with illegal drug residues in their tissue, administered drugs contrary to label directions without proper veterinary oversight and supervision and failed to maintain adequate treatment records.

Fd Alogo

Chipotle Tightens Supplier Standards Following E. Coli Outbreak

Chipotle changed its website last month, taking down a description about buying locally and replacing it with a message on long-term supplier relationships.

Chipotle restaurant 560abb3555a87

CarrierWeb Launches FSMA Information Site For Carriers And Shippers

The website will deliver timely updates and expert analysis for shippers and motor carriers on current and upcoming FSMA regulations.

CarrierWeb (www.carrierweb.com), a leading trucking mobile communications and telematics provider, announced the launch of a website devoted to the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Food Giants Invest In SmartLabel Initiative

Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA)

The SmartLabel initiative, announced Wednesday by the Grocery Manufacturers Association, so far includes more than 30 companies, including General Mills Inc., Hershey Co., and PepsiCo Inc.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association estimated that by the end of 2017, companies will disclose information on GMOs for some 20,000 products through the SmartLabel technology.

FDA Finalizes FSMA Rules For Produce, Foreign Supplier Verification, 3rd Party Certification

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

The final rules, which implement the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, will help produce farmers and food importers take steps to prevent problems before they occur.

Fd Alogo

Consumers Sue General Mills Over Gluten-Free Cheerios

The plaintiffs want General Mills to claim responsibility for notifying consumers about the “true nature of the ‘Gluten Free’ Cheerios,” to avoid further deceptive labeling, and to surrender profits made from selling the improperly-labeled cereal.

A month after General Mills recalled 1.8 million boxes of supposedly gluten-free Cheerios because they contained wheat, two California shoppers filed a proposed class action suit against General Mills and the manufacturing manager at the plant that accidentally introduced wheat-containing flour into gluten-free Cheerios.

Grocery Industry Seeks FDA Clarification On Chain Restaurant Menu Labeling

FMI - The Food Industry Association

FMI, on behalf of the supermarket industry, seeks common-sense flexibility for the regulation constructed for use in chain restaurant environments, but which does not translate effectively or efficiently in a grocery store setting.

Health Officials: Fresh Produce Causing Chipotle’s E.Coli Outbreak

Oregon health officials are consulting with their counterparts in Washington state "several times a day," according to a spokesman. The specific produce under scrutiny includes cilantro, romaine lettuce and tomatoes.

new cilantro 55c4f2a32bcf2

Chipotle Restaurants Close In Pacific Northwest Over E. Coli Outbreak

According to the Washington State Department of Health, though the outbreak appears to be connected to food served at Chipotle, the specific source of contamination has yet to be determined and is still under investigation.

Chipotle restaurant 56378df8a0187

Fleet Management

Fleet Management Technology, New Food Safety Rules Highlight IFDA Solutions Conference In Phoenix

International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA)

Attendees nationwide learned that fleet and vehicle management technology allows them to work more efficiently and helps them comply with more stringent food safety regulations.

Mark Mullins of Ben E. Keith Foods, center, notes DriveCam’s benefits during the IFDA Solutions Conference in Phoenix, flanked by Mike Hummel of Martin Bros. Co., at left and Danny Duke of Shamrock Food Co., at right.

CDC Links 24 Infections To Soft Cheese

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

There are five rare DNA fingerprints of Listeria included in this investigation, which whole genome sequencing has shown to be closely related genetically.

The 24 illnesses in nine states have been report since Aug. 8, 2010. One death was reported from Ohio. Twenty-one people were hospitalized. Five illnesses were pregnancy-related; one resulted in a fetal loss. The illnesses are in California (14), Colorado (1), Illinois (1), Massachusetts (2), Michigan (1), New York (2), Ohio (1), Tennessee (1), and Washington (1).

Page 53 of 80