Food Laws and Regulations Division
|
Food Laws and Regulations Division
|
|
Newsletter - Vol. 10, No. 1 - Fall 1999 Table of Contents
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR--Ralph Glover, Chair At the outset of the new fiscal year for the Division it is important to recognize the success that has occurred this past year. This success has been a result of the active participation of the many volunteers from the Division. The Division sponsored or co-sponsored five symposia and one technical session at the annual meeting in Chicago. These were all well attended and offered some excellent insight on the issues presented. A special thanks goes to Barb Rasco, Hillary Shallo, Catherine Fish and Dave D'Zurilla for all their hard work in making the symposia not only a success, but something of real value to the membership. Planning is already underway for next year's program in Dallas under the leadership of Chair Elect Tom Wilson. Each year the Division publishes three newsletters that serve has the primary communication vehicle to the membership. Hopefully, everyone has recognized how the newsletter has continued to evolve into one with a very professional format and content. This has been the result of the dedicated efforts of Jim Vetter, Janine Neils, Mary Schmidl, Polly Olson and others that have worked to make the newsletter a real benefit to the reader. All Division members are encouraged to submit articles on relevant topics that they feel would be of value and interest to the broader membership. The Division sponsors a luncheon at the annual meeting that provides an opportunity to listen to well-recognized industry, academia, regulatory and government leaders. This year the Division will be establishing an annual award to an individual who has provided a long term and substantive contribution to the field of food laws and regulations. This intent is to honor an outstanding member of the division for their contribution to the field. The person honored will also serve as our luncheon speaker in Dallas. This issue of the newsletter has information regarding nominations and you will be seeing more on this as the year progresses. Membership continues to be a key strategy for the Division. We have grown to over one thousand members, but with industry consolidation, retirements, people changing jobs and a variety of other reasons, adding new members and renewing current memberships remains an important priority. Invite a fellow IFT member to join the Food Laws and Regulations Division and gain the benefit of staying abreast of the laws and regulations impacting food safety, HACCP, labeling and a myriad of other issues important to the food industry. A key strategic initiative for the Division is to provide training and education opportunities for the members. Each year the Division, in conjunction with FDA and AIB, sponsors two short courses. One Is on "Labeling of FDA Regulated Foods' and the other "Food Laws and Regulations". The Division is fortunate to hale Jim Vetter who continues to do an outstanding job planning, scheduling and presenting these courses. From a financial standpoint the Division is fiscally sound and maintains an adequate reserve. The budget, which is primarily supported by member dues, is designed to cover normal operating expenses and self-funding the various activities From the Exccutive Cornmittce we want to thank everyone in the Division for your continued membership, participation and support. We look forward to a very active and productive year and fulfilling our mission to provide value to the membership. NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR ACHIEVEMENT AWARD...The Division has established an annual award to be presented to an individual for a long-term substantive contribution to the field of food law and regulations, including teaching, legal practice, government, industrial and consumer service. The award is the highest and only award for achievement in food law and regulations given by IFT. The intent of this award is to honor outstanding members of the Division for their contributions to the field of food law and regulations. CRITERIA FOR THE AWARD
AWARD
SEND YOUR NOMINATIONS TO:
NOMINATION DEADLINE: November 30, 1999 LOOKING FOR HELP OR LOOKING FOR CHANGE...The Employment Recruitment Committee continues to post jobs on the Listserve as they become available to the Committee. More postings are encouraged from the industry. Division members should advise their human resource departments that this service is available for positions in the food regulations field. With the large number of members to the Listserv, many postings have successfully been filled via this service. Any person with food/pharmaceutical/nutraceutical/beverage or other related regulatory "Positions Available" information should contact: Mitzi Elkes, Chairman Employment Recruitment Committee, email: mjelkes@aol.com or tel. no. (914) 923-1762. CONTINUING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES--Jim Vetter, Short Course Coordinator The Division supported two IFT continuing education short courses during this past year with two offerings of each. The courses were well attended and very well received by the participants. One course deals with labeling of FDA regulated :products and the other covers implementation of Federal laws and regulations for both FDA and USDA regulated products. These courses represent excellent training programs for newcomers to regulatory issues as well as good updates for the old-timers. IFT has plans to again offer two sessions of each course next year. Dates and locations will be announced in the Winter 2000 newsletter. Early registration is encouraged because the courses quickly fill to capacity. The Division receives income for each financially successful offering This is in return for the Division's involvement in developing, coordinating, and executing the courses and represents significant input to the budget for the Division FSC-490 International Food Laws and Regulations will be offered over the internet for undergraduate, graduate or continuing education credit by the Department of Food Science at Michigan State University. The course is a 3-hour offering and will begin in January of 2000. Contact Dr. Tom Wilson at 517-432-0873 for more information. INSIDE WASHINGTON...--John Tisler, Member at Large FDA & Y2K The Year 2000, or Y2K, computer problem has the potential to affect many of the products FDA regulates. FDA is working closely with industry to make sure that products as well as production and distribution channels are fully functional and Y2K compliant well in advance of Jan. 1, 2000. FDA has issued a Compliance Policy Guide (Sec.160-800 Year 2000 (Y2K) Computer Compliance. This guidance document represents the agency's current thinking on manufacturing and distribution of domestic and imported p roucts that may not perform properly prior to or during the transition to the year 2000 (Y2K). The CPG as well as other Y2K food-related information can be found on FDA's web site: http://www.fda.gov/oc/y2k/default.htm or telephone the Industry Activities Staff at 202-205-5251, FAX: 202-205-4450 for your copy. Letter on Seafood HACCP AND Y2K FDA sent a letter to the 4882 domestic seafood processors and distributors discussing the Agency's experience with their implementation of the mandatory seafood HACCP regulation. The letter, from Joseph Levitt, Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, reported both good news (about 1,200 of the 4,100 seafood food companies insepcted achieved full compliance) and bad news (many firms, based on last year's inspections, need to make substantial improvements to achieve the science-based level of safety assurance that HACCP is intended to provide). Also, the letter provided information about potential processing problems resulting from malfunctioning computer systems during the transition to the year 2000. The letter and its attachment can be viewed on FDA's web site at http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/-dms/sea-y2k.html or from the Industry Activities Staff by telephone or FAX request (202-205-5251 (FAX: 202-205-4450). CFSAN 1999 Program Priorities Accomplishments Through July 1, 1999 Joseph Levitt, Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, sent a personal letter to U.S. food firms in order that they may be current on food regulatory and other activities of the Center. Copy of Mr. Levitt's correspondence can be found on FDA's web site at http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cfsan799.html. If you do not have access to the Internet, a telephone call to CFSAN's Industry Activities Staff at 202-205-5251(FAX: 202-205-4450), will get you a copy. Health Claim Notification for Whole Grain Foods FDA had no objection to the use of the health claim "Diets high in plant foods--i.e., fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole-grain cereals--are associated with a lower occurrence of coronary heart disease and cancers of the lung, colon, esophagus, and stomach." on foods high in whole grains. The claim was submitted under the provisions of the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 (FDAMA), whereby a manufacturer may submit to FDA a notification of a health claim based on an authoritative statement from an appropriate federal agency or the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). If FDA does not act to prohibit or modify such a claim within 120 days of receipt of the notification, the claim may be used. More discussion can be found on FDA's web site at http://vm.cfsan fda.gov/-dms/flgrains.html., or from the Industry Activities Staff by telephone or FAX request (202-205-5251 (FAX: 202-205-4450). MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT...--Steve Ziller Ph.D., Membership Chairman The Executive Committee noted strong membership in the Food Laws and Regulations Division of IFT at its meeting in Chicago this summer. Approximately 1000 members of the Division are composed of IFT scientists in academic, gvernmental, and industrial responsibilities related to the food industry worldwide. Of the 43 new members in the last quarter 9 (20%) were from countries outside the US in Canada, Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and Asia. This is helping make the scope more international. The programs of the Division can be even stronger with more active participation by current members and by working to expand the number of members. This year we will be actively contacting all those who participate in Short Courses, Symposia, etc, and who appear to have an interest in food laws and regulations. In addition, we will be continuing the practice of sending a welcome letter to new members and contacting current members to insure existing memberships are maintained. The nominal dues of $7 per year are a bargain for the benefits the Division makes possible with symposia, newsletters, a web page with links to other important food sites, a listserv, short courses, etc. Share this newsletter with friends you think might be interested and encourage them to join the Division. If you have any questions, contact me at zillermi@aol.com Editor's Corner--Janine Neils, Newsletter Co-Editor Mention genetically modified foods (GM) and you are liable to start a debate. Emotions are running high around the world regarding the use of transpecies biotechniques to produce crops that have specialized characteristics. The sharing of DNA across species to promote various attributes has the potential of creating vastly improved food materials. Using these techniques can allow a much wider selection of traits for improvement, is faster and lower in cost than previous techniques, allows change to be achieved in very few generations, and allows greater precision in selecting characteristics. These advantages could lead to improved yield, the ability to grow crops in previously inhospitable environments, improved sensory and nutritional attributes, and improved processing characteristics. On the negative side, there have been several concerns regarding the safety of genetically modified foods. A few of these are; antibiotic resistance, allergenicity, and potential toxicity. Worldwide there are several very determined protest groups organized to voice their objections to the use of GM-derived ingredients in the general food supply. These groups have adopted the term "Frankenfoods" to describe genetically modified foods. Some of the groups advocate labeling of GM-containing foods, others want an all out ban of ingredients derived from genetically modified crops, while the more radical groups want to ban all transpecies biotcchnology. The efforts of these groups are not going unnoticed by the governments of the world. Several initatives are currently being considered or have been adopted that provide legislation pertaining to GM foods. Some countries require labeling or in ibodservice applications, the education of the employees as to what products contain ingredients derived from genetically modified crops. Other governments are requiring all genetically modified materials to go through a rigorous approval process. Regulations in most countries include the concept of substantial equivalence. Acceptability or non-acceptability is established by determining whether a novel food is substantially equivalent to an analogous conventional food in terms of composition, nutritional properties, toxin and allergen content, the amount consumed, the type of processing, and the risks presented to vulnerable groups of people. Some ingredients derived from genetically modified crops are considered to be substantially equivalent to conventional food due to the fact that no protein or DNA is present in the processed ingredient. Processed soybean oil derived from GM soybeans is an example of an ingredient deemed substantially equivalent to that processed from conventional (non-GM) soybeans. No matter how the debate is settled, them will be a regulatory impact. Whether packaged products containing ingredients derived from genetically modified foods will require additional labeling, or whether some ingredients will be banned for use in products sold in some countric remains to be seen. The regulatory activity worldwide is heating up and it bears watching. Much of the information in this Editor's Corner was either taken, by reference, or directly, from an excellent position paper published by the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST). This position statement can be found at the following website: http://www.ifst org/hottop10.htm
Please submit articles or information for the next newsletter by January 3, 2000 Send information to the Editors at the addresses below. Please send comments, suggestions concerns and corrections to us, we want to hear from you.
Newsletter Deadline - January 3, 2000 Last modified: November 18, 1999 |
|
This page is maintained by the Food Law and Regulations Division of the Institute of Food Technologists. To submit materials for posting on the Division's home page or to make other comments, contact David Haytowitz Return to: Top of Page | Food Law Home Page | IFT Home Page |
