The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) recently published Our Food 2022, its annual report of food standards across the nation, which was conducted in collaboration with Food Standards Scotland (FSS). Although the UK faced significant challenges that affected the food system in 2022, FSA reported that that there has not been any significant change in food safety and authenticity standards, except for a trend in food allergen labeling requirements.
On October 31, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a proposed rule which, if finalized, would amend its prior notice regulations for human and animal foods imported by mail.
The UK Government has delayed the introduction of new food import controls under the Border Target Operating Model (TOM) to the end of January 2024, postponing the requirement for the inspection and certification of medium- and high-risk animal products and produce entering the country.
On August 24, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signed a Regulatory Partnership Arrangement (RPA) with Ecuador’s Vice Ministry of Aquaculture and Fisheries (VMAF) to strengthen the food safety of Ecuadorian shrimp intended for sale in the U.S. market.
The UK Government, in collaboration with the Scottish and Welsh Governments, has published a plan that establishes the basis for risk-based checks across EU and non-EU trade. The draft Border Target Operating Model sets forth proposals for a new border surveillance and control system to provide protection from security and biosecurity threats, including those posed by unsafe food imports.
Approximately 46 percent of honey imported to the EU is adulterated, according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). These findings are the result of an EU-coordinated action, titled, “From the Hives.”
After a review, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has deemed Paraguay’s food safety inspection system for raw beef products to be equivalent to that of the U.S., which is a step that could allow Paraguay to export beef to the U.S. for the first time since 1997.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) has announced that it is accepting applications from eligible organizations seeking funding through the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops Program (TASC) for fiscal year 2024.
New registration requirements for foreign food manufacturing facilities intending to export certain products to India have gone into effect, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that it has not yet received sufficient information about the scope of these requirements and the intended use of the registration information.