By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Farmers and ranchers across the U.S. are under a lot of stress as we enter planting season. Farm income has been cut in half and uncertainty fills the air as we move into the 2018 year. Trade war – we are already being hurt, but there are some encouraging […]
John Block: Uncertain Times Read More »
This week on Wednesday, April 18, the full House Agriculture Committee met and successfully voted to report its version of a 2018 Farm Bill, based on a draft released last week by Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R-Texas) and backed by Committee Republicans (H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018). The bill was passed
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Here is what I read in the Wall Street Journal: “Deficit financing has become the mother’s milk of politics. Each party is giving the other its wish list with all the bells and whistles included and asking future generations to pick up the tab.” The Congressional Budget Office projects
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block All the time, we hear the loud voices of consumer groups that insist the public must be informed about the food we eat. “Label it organic.” “If it has GMOs, the consumer must know.” “You should not label it natural if it is not natural,” whatever ‘natural’ means. Now,
John Block: Clean Meat Read More »
In a speech, entitled “Reducing the Burden of Chronic Disease,” delivered on March 29th by FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb before the National Food Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., FDA kicked-off its Nutrition Innovation Strategy. FDA has identified several areas where it believes there is opportunity to improve public health and encourage industry innovation towards reducing
FDA Maintains Focus on Nutrition to Foster Human Health Read More »
Pick up a paper or turn on the TV – It’s all about trade. So that’s the subject I’m going to talk about today. Will there be a trade war? Our agriculture industry that exports 20% of what we produce could get pounded pretty hard. A lot of President Trump’s critics don’t think he has
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block I don’t think we have any idea where the Trump tariffs on steel and aluminum will take us. There is still a lot of concern about how they could backfire on us, costing markets and pushing up the cost of cars, tractors, and everything metal. However, boosting the cost
John Block: Where To From Here? Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Just when I was so comfortable with President Trump’s follow through with so many of his campaign promises – conservative judges, tax reform, cuts in regulations, and securing our borders. The stock market has soared more than 30% since he was elected. Suddenly, last week, he announced his plan
John Block: Tariffs Read More »
By Marshall Matz, as published in Agri-Pulse The drafting of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) has started….and it’s a good start. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have announced that, for the first time, the departments will seek public comments on the proposed priority topics and supporting scientific questions
Dietary Guidelines 2020 Read More »
CFSAN/FDA has made available a guidance document and a small entity compliance guide to assist industry in complying with its revised nutrition labeling requirements for conventional foods and dietary supplements: Guidance for Industry: Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed: List of Products for Each Product Category (Feb. 2018) [hereinafter “RACC Guide”]; and Guidance for Industry: Food Labeling:
RACC and Serving Size Guidance Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block If we are anything in this country, we are creative – from the Internet, to GPS driving my tractor while planting corn. Did you know that Goodyear Tire Company is now using soybean oil to make their tires? If you want better traction, hit the road with soy-based tires.
John Block: Creativity Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block I have been on the farm in Illinois the last few days. As we loaded a semi with market hogs and I walked through the barns with baby pigs, it made me think once again about the challenges farmers face. As I reported last week, the outlook can change
John Block: Down on the Farm Read More »
Food companies and industry trade associations have overwhelmingly supported a decision by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to move the U.S. Codex Office from the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to the Office of the Undersecretary for Trade and Agricultural Affairs led by Ted McKinney. The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) is a United
Relocation of U.S. Codex Office Makes Sense Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block I have a number of subjects to put on the table today. To open this up, I want to remind everyone just how much our farm and ranch economy is suffering today. Farm income is expected to fall 7% to $60 billion this year. That is less than half
John Block: Opportunities and Challenges Read More »
On February 12, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) released its most recent revision of the Food Code to reflect the current understanding of best practices in food safety. The Food Code is a model regulation intended for adoption by local, state, tribal, and territorial governments.
FDA Publishes 2017 Food Code Read More »
In the 1993 classic movie, Groundhog Day, the protagonist is caught in a time loop and forced to repeat things over and over again. This year, on February 2, the CPSC celebrated Groundhog Day by agreeing to settle a timeliness action brought against Michaels Stores. For the CPSC, in true Groundhog Day-style, the Michaels’ settlement
Groundhog Day at the CPSC Read More »
Food labeling class actions — which food labeling claims put you most at risk of a lawsuit? Popular claims regarding ingredient content or processing methods are often the most common targets for class actions. Read the views of OFW Law, as reported in Food Navigator. The article reports on a recent webinar sponsored by the
Which Food Labeling Claims Put You Most at Risk of a Class Action Lawsuit? Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Today, my subject is Senator Bob Dole (Kansas). Two weeks ago, he received the Congressional Gold Medal – the highest award bestowed by the U.S. Congress. Very few individuals have been so honored. The Senator is a decorated World War II veteran and served in the U.S. Congress longer
John Block: Senator Bob Dole Read More »
FDA has released a draft guidance, “Public Warning and Notification of Recalls Under 21 CFR Part 7, Subpart C: Guidance for Industry and FDA Staff” (1/17/2018). It essentially discloses FDA’s intent to accelerate the release of recall information to the public, to better safeguard consumers’ health and well-being. Recalls of many FDA-regulated products will be
FDA Updates Some Recall Practices Read More »
The FDA recently released a “2018 Strategic Policy Roadmap” outlining (among other things) its nutrition-related policy priorities for the coming year. In the Roadmap, FDA lists nutrition as one of its four top issues for this year. The Agency aims to: “Empower consumers to make better and more informed decisions about their diets and health
Analysis of FDA’s Nutrition Policy Priorities for 2018 Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block From my perspective, our government has been getting some good things done. Remember a year ago when hundreds of out-of-towners blocked the construction of the North Dakota pipeline? The government spent millions of dollars on law enforcement and court fights. In the end, the pipeline was completed. North Dakota
John Block: Good Things Done Read More »
Last week, the FDA concluded that there is no credible evidence of a relationship between intake of vitamin D and a reduced risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). The petition, submitted on behalf of Bayer, requested use of the claim “Vitamin D may reduce the risk of [MS]” as a qualified health claim. FDA previously denied
FDA Denies Use of Claim for Vitamin D Reducing MS Risk Read More »
The food and beverage industry is facing an unprecedented number of threats from class action cases alleging misleading labeling and advertising. Approximately two new lawsuits against manufacturers, distributors and retailers were filed each week in 2017! Dozens more food and beverage industry members received demand letters that threatened the commencement of such cases and demanded
Upcoming Webinar: Avoiding the Food Labeling Class Action Trap Read More »
Tall, Grande, and Venti are terms well-known to many American consumers looking for a latte or mocha at one of more than 13,000 Starbucks locations in the United States. Most, if not all, of those consumers are aware that Starbucks baristas typically leave some room when filling 12 ounce (“Tall”), 16 ounce (“Grande”), and 20
Starbucks Slack-Fill Class Action Holds No Water … or Milk Foam Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block It has been 25 years since a President of the United States addressed the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). The last President to speak was President George H. W. Bush. President Donald Trump spoke this week in Nashville, Tennessee, to a cheering, packed house of farmers and ranchers. They
John Block: Trump – AFBF Speech Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block I want to look back at 2017. In some respects, President Trump had a pretty rough year with his critics, including much of the mainstream media attacking him without relief. However, I think the case can be made that he and the Republican Congress had an impressive year. Tax
John Block: Trump’s Year Read More »
In planning for your company’s 2018 regulatory priorities, you might want to review and optimize its recall procedures. Recall policies and procedures likely will be a focus of FDA in the coming year. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) within the Department of Health and Human Services recently published a Report, The Food and Drug
Focus on Food Recalls Read More »
More announcements are being made each day. We will update this list, as appropriate. PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP WHITE HOUSE STAFF Chief of Staff – Reince Priebus – head of the RNC (Resigned July 27, 2017) Gen. John Kelly, former Secretary of Homeland Security under President Trump and USMC – United States Southern Command (July 28,
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block The Holiday season is here. Amazing – Tax reform legislation has passed, and President Trump has said he will sign it. That is a big Christmas present. President Trump and Republicans in Congress got it done without any Democratic help. Before President Trump was elected, Democrats — including President
John Block: Tax Reform Passes, a Present for the Holiday Season Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Maybe the “chickens are coming home to roost” in California. The state of California can’t think of enough new regulations. In 2015, California passed legislation demanding that those who sell eggs in the state must adhere to their cage-size law. Midwest states such as Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska are crying
John Block: Egg Regulations Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block For most farmers across the U.S. there is a big sigh of relief. The harvest is over. Time to sit back and relax. Well, there is no time for relaxation here in the Nation’s Capital. This has been a very busy week. On Friday, December 1, I hosted the
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block The U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking a very long time to fill some of our most important management positions. The Administration has 4 under secretary posts unfilled and 3 Assistant Secretary jobs unannounced. Sec. Perdue’s choice for the newly created farm services and conservation post, Bill Northey, should
John Block: The U.S. Department of Ag Team Read More »
Contributor: Mark L. Itzkoff Principal, The Law Office of Mark Itzkoff, [email protected] On November 15, 2017, FDA released a proposed guidance document, Best Practices for Convening a GRAS Panel: Guidance for Industry. The Guidance is, in part, a response to 2013 criticism of the GRAS exemption for food ingredients from the Pew Charitable Trust, the
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block We just celebrated another Thanksgiving. And we do have a lot to be thankful for. Our economy is roaring with GDP in the 3% range and near full employment. The best advantage that we have is that we don’t live in the Middle East where years of war have
John Block: Thanksgiving Read More »
I. Overview of Final Rule. On November 2nd, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the final rule for the second year of the Quality Payment Program (QPP). The rule outlines the requirements for the 2018 Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) as well as Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs). Like the proposed
2018 Quality Payment Program Final Rule Overview Read More »
