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The Agriculture Marketing Service of the United States Department of Agriculture announced an agreement reached with Canada’s Food Inspection Agency that will provide U.S. organic dairy, beef, sheep, goat and bison producers with more streamlined access to the Canadian market. Canada now considers U.S. organic requirements for access to pasture and living conditions to be…

On January 25, 2012, the Food Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) issued a final rule that substantially modifies the menu planning and nutrition requirements for the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. The rule, which is intended to improve the dietary habits of school children in grades K-12…

Today the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) published two proposed regulations that will affect companies that produce and market organic food products. One proposed rule would clarify which vitamins and minerals are permitted for use in organic food and infant formula, while the other proposed rule would renew the status…

Responding to a letter from eight trade associations asking for more time to prepare for compliance, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), an agency within the Department of Agriculture, has decided to delay the effective date of final regulations requiring nutrition labeling for major cuts of single-ingredient raw meat and poultry from January 1…

On November 18, 2011, President Obama signed into law H.R. 2112, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act (Pub. L. 112-055), which, among other things, provides funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) for Fiscal Year 2012. The law includes policy “riders” blocking funding for key provisions of a rule proposed by USDA…

Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture ("USDA") Food Safety and Inspection Service ("FSIS") issued a proposed rule that is intended to ensure that commercial catfish products are properly marked, labeled, and packaged, and are not adulterated. The rule implements recently enacted legislation which was advocated by U.S. catfish producers, and singles out domestic and…

Last month, the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) issued a proposed rule that would revise the meal patterns and nutrition requirements for the National School Lunch Program (“NSLP”) and the School Breakfast Program (“SBP”). The proposed rule, which is intended to improve the dietary habits of school children, would…

This post was written by Sarah Roller

The U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that certain false advertising claims based on state consumer protection and anti-deception statutes were not preempted by the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA)— a federal Act that establishes national standards for the sale and labeling of organically…

On June 15, 2010, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee issued the “Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010” (“Advisory Report” or “Report”). The Advisory Report is intended to provide the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “with a strong…