Monthly Archives: April 2019

View Our Members Only Minnesota Legislative Report

Minnesota legislators returned from the Easter Recess on Tuesday this week and began to finalize omnibus budget bills with numerous amendments on the House and Senate floors. Many of the floor sessions this week lasted late into the evenings. To find out how legislation of interest to the food manufacturing industry fared, click on the […]

FDA Releases Guidance On Initiating Voluntary Recalls

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued draft guidance on initiating voluntary recalls of food and other agency-regulated products. The guidance discusses: (i) “what preparations firms in a distribution chain, including manufacturers and distributors, should consider making to establish recall initiation procedures”; (ii) “preparations firm in the distribution channel should consider making to […]

Food Manufacturers, Ag Organizations Urge Access In U.S.-Japan Trade Deal

MWFPA joined nearly 90 agricultural organizations in urging the U.S. Trade Representative to negotiate a trade deal with Japan that restores, expands, and accelerates meaningful access for U.S. food and agricultural products. In a recent letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer it was stressed that as “the fourth largest market for U.S. agricultural products, […]

Lobbyists Say Groups Have Reached Consensus On Ag Labor Fix

The agriculture industry has coalesced around a potential labor fix that would provide a path to legalization for farm laborers currently in the U.S. and also expand the H-2A foreign guest-worker program so that farmers can more easily hire foreign workers. The H-2A program allows employers to higher foreign workers on a temporary basis to […]

FDA Considering Creating “Healthy” Food Icon

Outgoing FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a recent interview that the agency is considering creating an FDA-approved labeling icon indicating that a food product is “healthy.” Before doing so, Gottlieb said, the agency would first have to develop an official definition of the term “healthy,” a process that he said may be completed by […]

Another Voice: GMOs Have Benefits For Health And The Environment

GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, are not only a lot less scary than pop culture would lead you to believe — they are one of the most overlooked solutions to combating threats to our planet. Read more from this editorial published in The Buffalo News and written by Michael Stebbins, director of external engagement for […]

Added Sugars Listing Could Save $31 Billion In Health Care Costs

The added sugars labeling policy from the Food and Drug Administration could save $31 billion in health care costs over a 20-year period, according to a study that appeared online April 15 in Circulation, the American Heart Association’s journal. The listing of added sugars also could prevent 354,400 cases of cardiovascular disease and 599,300 cases […]

FDA Sets Public Hearing On Food And Drinks Containing CBD

On May 31, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold its first public hearing on legalizing cannabidiol (CBD) in food and drinks. The agency is calling for data on CBD’s safety in food products as well as suggestions on how the FDA might regulate manufacturing, marketing, and labeling CBD-infused products. In a statement released on […]

Ambassador Says Canada Readying New Tariff List Against US, Including Ag Products

David MacNaughton, Canada’s ambassador to the United States said Monday that Canada could announce a new list of retaliatory tariffs on more U.S. goods, including agricultural products, as early as next week. Canadian officials are attempting to ratchet up the pressure on the U.S. to drop steel and aluminum tariffs, referred to as the “Section […]