Beltway Beat

Trump Picks RFK Jr. as Health Secretary. What can the food industry expect?

By Food Safety Tech Staff, Rick Biros
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Kennedy says the public health establishment is too focused on infectious diseases and wants to redirect resources toward issues he characterizes as the chronic disease epidemic, including obesity, diabetes, autism and mental illnesses. He blames them on corporations including food companies for producing highly processed, non-nutritious food using harmful pesticides and additives.

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FDA logo
FDA logo
Beltway Beat

More Ground Cinnamon Products Added to FDA Public Health Alert Due to Presence of Elevated Levels of Lead

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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Following the October 2023 recall of cinnamon apple puree and applesauce products due to elevated lead levels linked to the cinnamon in those products and the concern for lead toxicity in children, the FDA initiated a targeted survey of ground cinnamon products from discount retail stores and analyzed the samples for lead and chromium.

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USDA Logo
Beltway Beat

USDA Proposes New Policy to Reduce Salmonella in Raw Poultry Products

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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The proposal would establish final product standards to prevent raw chicken carcasses, chicken parts, ground chicken, and ground turkey products that contain any type of Salmonella at or above 10 colony forming units (CFU) per gram/ml and any detectable level of at least one of the Salmonella serotypes of public health significance from entering commerce.

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Beltway Beat

The Effectiveness of U.S. Food Laws Over Private Standards

By Sayed M Naim Khalid
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This paper compares U.S. food laws with GFSI standards, highlighting their respective strengths and weaknesses. U.S. food laws provide a legally enforceable, standardized framework that ensures consumer protection and public accountability. Conversely, GFSI standards offer flexibility, global recognition, and industry-driven innovation, albeit at higher costs and with less enforcement power. The U.S. food safety system, despite its complexity, delivers robust protection through comprehensive federal regulations. A balanced approach that integrates the strengths of both systems could optimize food safety, leveraging legal enforcement and global industry standards.

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