The dairy industry is celebrating a big victory in their long effort to get whole milk back in schools. The House voted 330-99 Wednesday for a bill that would prevent whole milk from being counted toward overall fat restrictions in school meals.
Some 112 Democrats joined all but one Republican in voting for the bill.
What’s next: The issue now moves to the Senate. Sens. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., are leading the Senate version of the measure.
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No deadline for EPA response to glyphosate petition
Glyphosate herbicide is under attack again, this time by the Center for Food Safety and five other advocacy groups that are petitioning EPA to suspend the use of the active ingredient in Roundup. It could be a long time before the agency acts on the issue.
The groups want EPA to cancel glyphosate's registration, citing scientific studies that, the groups say, show the herbicide is probably carcinogenic and causes other health problems.
But unlike court cases, which can proceed slowly but still proceed, the administrative petition filed by the groups could be ignored for years.
That’s because the Administrative Procedure Act only requires that federal agencies respond to petitions in a “reasonable time.” Court decisions vary on what that means, but the petitioners said they would file a lawsuit to force a response if they don’t get an answer in that time frame.
A Bayer spokesperson, meanwhile, said “this latest attempt to prevent the lawful registration of these products has no merit.”
“No health regulator anywhere in the world has ever found glyphosate to pose a carcinogenic risk to human health,” the spokesperson said, noting EPA continues to assert that the “underlying scientific findings regarding glyphosate, including its finding that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans, remain the same.”
Appeals court says antibiotic use on citrus needs more study
On another pesticide matter, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the registration of the antibiotic streptomycin for use on citrus.
But it doesn’t go into effect right away. As Earthjustice attorney Carrie Apfel explains, “The court must wait 45 days, during which any party may seek rehearing, and then seven days after that, it will issue its mandate,” making the decision official.
“Once the mandate issues (assuming there is no rehearing), streptomycin can no longer be sold or distributed for use as a pesticide for citrus greening. EPA will have to revisit its registration approval and conduct an assessment that complies with FIFRA and conduct a proper ESA evaluation.”
The court found the agency’s 2021 registration didn’t adequately analyze the impact of the antibiotic’s use on pollinators or endangered species. EPA also will have to take another look at its conclusion that streptomycin can prevent citrus greening and citrus canker.
FDA’s reorganization plan now under review at HHS
FDA’s proposed reorganization package for a unified Human Foods Program and a new model for it Office of Regulatory Affairs is now under review by the Department of Health and Human Services. That step begins the formal external review process.
“The agency is hopeful implementation will occur sometime in calendar year 2024,” FDA says, and FDA Commissioner Robert Califf called the reorganization a “unique moment in the history of the FDA” as it embarks to make “meaningful and lasting change.”
In addition to HHS’ review, there are several critical steps remaining before the agency can implement the proposed reorganization. These steps include review by the Office of Management and Budget and negotiations with unions that represent affected staff, FDA says.
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As part of its ongoing progress to enhance its infant formula response process, FDA says it has added additional staff to support infant formula oversight and regulation, including three senior officials assigned to critical foods. FDA also began establishing a critical foods investigator core group to focus solely on the inspection and oversight of the infant formula industry. Hiring of the core group is currently underway, FDA says.
Survey: Raw beef is consumers’ biggest food safety fear
Consumers’ biggest concern when it comes to food safety is raw meat, according to Purdue University’s latest Consumer Food Insights survey. That’s even though there are many other foods, including leafy greens, that have been implicated in outbreaks over recent years.
Some 84% of consumers surveyed named raw beef as a food safety risk, followed by raw poultry at 79% and raw pork at 73%, the survey found. By comparison, raw fruits and vegetables are seen as a risk by 27% of those surveyed. Soft cheeses and sprouts were selected as risky foods by 23% and 22%, respectively.
The survey report notes that a 2021 CDC report linked 62% of E. coli illnesses to leafy greens, compared to 21% for beef.
State ag officials to Vilsack: Slow down on resuming Paraguayan beef imports
Agriculture secretaries from seven states are urging USDA to pause the implementation of a rule allowing beef to be imported from Paraguay until the agency can conduct a “more reliable risk assessment” of the risks for foot and mouth disease.
The state officials from Iowa, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Missouri, Ohio, Nebraska and Wyoming tell Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a letter they are concerned about the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service basing the rule on “outdated” information to evaluate foot and mouth disease risks in the country. The most recent visits the agency made to Paraguay were in 2008 and 2014, the letter says.
"The U.S. should not open our markets to potentially unsafe actors and jeopardize the herd health and livelihood of American farmers until a more up-to-date risk assessment is conducted in Paraguay,” the ag secretaries say.
She said it. “Let's end the war on milk. Pass the bill.” – House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., arguing for the measure that would allow whole milk in school lunches.
Steve Davies, Jacqui Fatka and Noah Wicks contributed to this report.
