FST 325 (Food Legislation)

Asserted problems by various consumer groups arising out of the current system (and possible disagreements?)

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Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

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Know history of food legislation/people involved Read book/websites Know Slide 25 - 26

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Technical issues with assuring food safety [drawn from FDA, Food Protection Plan]

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The major federal actors: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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The major federal actors: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

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USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)

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Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906

- Enacted June 30, 1906 and substantially amended by the Wholesome Meat Act 1967 - Required USDA to inspect all cattle, sheep, swine, goats, and horses when slaughtered and processed into products for human consumption. - The primary goals of the law are to prevent adulterated or misbranded livestock and products from being sold as food, and to ensure that meat and meat products are slaughtered and processed under sanitary conditions.

1906 Pure Food and Drug Act

- The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 was the first of a series of significant consumer protection laws enacted by the Federal Government in the twentieth century and led to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration - Its main purpose was to ban foreign and interstate traffic in adulterated or mislabeled food and drug products, and it directed the U.S. Bureau of Chemistry to inspect products and refer offenders to prosecutors. It required that active ingredients be placed on the label of a drug's packaging and that drugs could not fall below purity levels established by The United States Pharmacopeia or The National Formulary

Weaknesses of the 1906 Act

- failed to provide clear-cut meanings and specific means for enforcement - insufficient funding for enforcement - USDA was responsible for testing, but no standards for foods were designated - law required proof of intent to deceive or poison; defendants simply pleaded ignorance

Four main requirements of Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906

1) Mandated antemortem inspection of livestock (cattle, swine, sheep, goats, equines) 2) Mandated post-mortem inspection of every carcass 3) Established sanitary standards for slaughter and processing plants 4) Required continuous USDA inspection of slaughter and processing operations

Development of 1938 Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act

In 1937, public opinion was aroused by a shocking disclosure -- the deaths of more than 100 people from the poisonous drug "elixir of sulfanilamide." ---> On June 25, 1938, President Roosevelt signed the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

An example of why we shouldn't assume that other countries have good food regulatory laws/efficient survelience systems

Some milk produced in China in 2009 contained toxic levels of melamine that resulted in deaths of children in China and appeared in milk-containing products (confectionary) exported to other countries (e.g. New Zealand)

Wholesome Meat Act of 1967

The Wholesome Meat Act (also called "Equal To" law) is a United States federal law enacted in 1967 that regulates the federal meat inspection (Federal State Cooperation) It requires that states have inspection programs "equal to" that of the federal government which are administered by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In other words, allows states to have own meat/poultry inspection programs if their requirements are "at least equal to" federal requirements

Food surveillance

most common form of policing It involves sampling food or produce and measuring parameters covered (e.g. pesticide residues) by the food law of particular country

Key provisions of the 1938 Food Drug and Cosmetic Act

prohibited economic adulteration authorized standards prohibited false or misleading labeling requirement of labeling for "imitation" required affirmative labeling name of food net quantity of contents ingredient statement name & address of manufacturer, packer, or distributor requirements for dietary foods prohibited misleading containers authorized plant inspections