The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued Interim Guidance from CDC and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Manufacturing Workers and Employers (the Interim Guidance), which...more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently provided an update regarding its plans for conducting routine surveillance inspections of domestic and foreign facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. FDA announced in...more
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently issued a COVID-19 industry guidance intended for facilities that process or pack meat, dairy, or produce to support a safe and clean environment for workers. In...more
5/16/2020
/ Agribusiness ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Training ,
Farm Animals ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Safety ,
Food Supply ,
Meat Processing Plants ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Social Distancing ,
Workplace Decontamination ,
Workplace Safety
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently updated its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) webpage regarding COVID-19 to include a section on President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) invoking the Defense...more
A recent court decision struck down a 2018 final rule by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), which had relaxed sodium and whole grains requirements for the National School Lunch...more
On May 1, 2020, Blue Bell Creameries L.P. (Blue Bell) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) entered into two separate agreements related to the 2015 listeriosis outbreak linked to Blue Bell ice cream. This memorandum...more
Late Tuesday, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue sent letters to state governors and meat and poultry processing company leaders setting forth USDA’s expectations for continued operations during the...more
5/8/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Agriculture ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Safety ,
Food Supply ,
Meat Processing Plants ,
OSHA ,
Secretary of Agriculture ,
USDA ,
Workplace Safety
This week, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order invoking the Defense Production Act (DPA) to protect the meat and poultry production supply chain. In the Executive Order, entitled, Delegating Authority Under The...more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have issued interim guidance on COVID-19 considerations for meat and poultry processing workers and employers. This...more
5/1/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Farm Animals ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Safety ,
Food Supply ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Meat Processing Plants ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Poultry ,
Public Health ,
Workplace Safety
This post summarizes two recent documents the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued for the Food and Agriculture Sector in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The first, “Use of Respirators, Facemasks, and Cloth Face...more
5/1/2020
/ Agribusiness ,
Agricultural Workers ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Farms ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Safety ,
Food Supply ,
Health & Safety Standard ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Regulatory Requirements
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) revised its interim guidance identifying critical infrastructure workers who the agency suggests should be exempt from state...more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently updated their respective questions and answers guidance to address questions or update their recommendations concerning food...more
Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted on its website a conversation with FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food and Policy Response Frank Yiannas that addresses common questions concerning food availability...more
This post summarizes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Compliance Program Guidance Manual (CPGM) for food facilities subject to preventive controls and sanitary human food operation requirements. As an overview,...more
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced it will temporarily exercise enforcement discretion for country of origin labeling (COOL) or method of production requirements to...more
This post summarizes two recent steps by the federal government to provide food safety guidance in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. First, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a fact sheet and...more
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued recommendations to address hand sanitizer shortages. CISA has identified that the problem of hand sanitizer...more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued interim guidance identifying situations in which CDC believes critical infrastructure workers can continue to work despite exposure to individuals with suspected...more
On April 7, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released interim guidance regarding food safety for food businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The...more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released guidance regarding compliance with the shell Egg Safety Rule during the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate the distribution of eggs to retail. The agency also updated...more
This post summarizes two recent steps by the federal government to provide food safety guidance in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. ...more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently updated their respective COVID-19 questions and answers guidance. FDA updated its food safety questions and answers guidance on...more
This memorandum summarizes recent actions the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. First, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response Frank Yiannas issued a food...more
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced it will begin requesting that importers send the agency records required under the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP)...more
The FDA issued a new guidance document that provides retailers with some flexibility from labeling requirements for shell eggs in order to facilitate the distribution of eggs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This guidance...more