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  • Riëtte van Laack

    • FDA Proposes Substantial Changes to Agricultural Water RequirementsDecember 14th, 2021

      On December 6, 2021, FDA published a proposed rule to reorganize and amend the highly criticized agricultural water provisions of the Produce Safety Rule (PSR). This marks the Agency’s latest effort to balance public health protections with covered farms’ persistent concerns that the current provisions …

    • California Goes Above and Beyond the FTC’s Green Guides, Creates a New Standard for RecyclableNovember 1st, 2021

      On October 5, 2021, California signed SB 343 “Truth in Labeling for Recyclable Materials” into law, amending the state’s law relating to environmental advertising. The result is a California law that is significantly more narrow than the  Federal Trade Commission Guides for the Use of Environmental …

    • The FTC Resurrects Its Penalty Offense Authority in a Big WayOctober 20th, 2021

      Last fall, when AMG Capital Management, LLC v. FTC was pending before the Supreme Court, former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioner Rohit Chopra (now Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) and Samuel Levine (recently appointed Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection) coauthored …

    • FSIS Begins the Process of Rule Making for Labeling of Cultured or Cell-Based Meat and PoultrySeptember 9th, 2021

      As readers of our blog know, FDA and the Food Safety Inspection Service of the USDA (FSIS) agreed to jointly oversee the production of human food products using animal cell culture technology.  Under the Memorandum of Understanding signed in March 2019, FDA will oversee cell …

    • FTC codifies its Enforcement policy for “Made in the USA” Claims; False “Made in the USA” Claims May Now Result in a Monetary PenaltyJuly 20th, 2021

      On July 1, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced the availability of the pre-publication of the final rule on “Made in USA” (MUSA) claims in the Federal Register. The final rule was published on July 14, 2021.  We previously reported on events that resulted …

    • FASTER Law Adds Sesame as Major Food AllergenApril 27th, 2021

      On Friday April 23, President Biden signed into law the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education and Research (FASTER) Act that designates sesame as the ninth major food allergen.  The first eight major allergens – peanuts, tree nuts, fish, Crustacean shellfish, soy, milk, eggs, and wheat …

    • FDA Issues Warning Letters for CBD-containing OTC Analgesic DrugsMarch 29th, 2021

      For more than five years now, FDA has pursued action regarding cannabidiol (CBD) products.  FDA has taken the position that CBD is not a lawful food or dietary ingredient.   But despite the agency’s strong statement about CBD, FDA has acted, primarily through Warning Letters (WLs), …

    • HP&M’s Food, Beverage & Supplement Wrap Up: February 2021March 4th, 2021

      Welcome to the latest edition of Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C.’s monthly wrap up of food, beverage and supplement news, including regulations, guidances, events, and whatever else is catching our eye. Food & Beverage Transition: As of this writing, Janet Woodcock is Acting Commissioner of Food …

    • HP&M’s Food, Beverage & Supplement Wrap Up: January 2021February 8th, 2021

      Welcome to the latest edition of HPM’s monthly wrap up of food, beverage and supplement news, including regulations, guidances, events, and whatever else is catching our eye. It’s been quite a January, hasn’t it? Food & Beverage Transition: As of this writing, Janet Woodcock is Acting …

    • Proposed Changes to Short-Form Version of Safe Harbor Proposition 65 WarningJanuary 20th, 2021

      On January 8, 2021, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) announced proposed amendments to Proposition 65 warning regulations that would limit use of the short-form version of the safe harbor warning. Proposition 65, California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, mandates …

    • OTC Monograph Drug User Fees FY2021 (Temporarily?) Off the TableJanuary 11th, 2021

      That did not take long.  As we reported at the end of 2020, FDA announced in a notice the User Fees for OTC Monograph Drug Manufacturers and other fees.  Then on Jan. 6, 2021, HHS announced that the fees are off the table. What happened?  Well, …

    • HP&M’s Food, Beverage & Supplement Wrap Up: December 2020January 6th, 2021

      Welcome to the final 2020 edition of Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C.’s monthly wrap up of food, beverage and supplement news, including regulations, guidances, events, and whatever else is catching our eye.  Happy New Year, everyone. Food & Beverage Make Every Bite Count: USDA and HHS …

    • FDA Announces OTC Monograph Drug User Fees for Manufacturers for FY2021December 30th, 2020

      As we previously reported, in March, as part of the CARES Act, OTC monograph reform was signed into law.  This law amended the FDC Act to include, among other things, an OTC monograph drug user fee program, under which FDA is authorized to assess and …

    • HP&M’s Food, Beverage & Supplement Wrap Up: November 2020December 7th, 2020

      Welcome to the latest edition of Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C.’s (“HP&M”) monthly wrap up of food, beverage and supplement news, including regulations, guidances, events, and whatever else is catching our eye. Tooting our own Horn:  HP&M has been named the “Law Firm of the Year” …

    • Petition to TTB Requesting Cancer Warning on Alcoholic BeveragesNovember 5th, 2020

      The Alcoholic Beverage Labeling Act of 1988 (ABLA) directs the Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to notify Congress if science shows that the required warning statement on alcoholic beverages must be updated.  Specifically, the ABLA provides that TTB “shall promptly …