FDA to Discuss Importer Provisions at Meeting and Webcast Scheduled for March 29
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will host an all-day, public meeting in Silver Spring, Md., and an interactive webcast on March 29, 2011, titled, “‘FDA Food Safety Modernization Act: Title III-A New Paradigm for Importers,” to discuss implementation of the import safety provisions of the recently enacted FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. FDA is seeking information on importer verification, the Voluntary Qualified Importer Program, import certifications for food, and third-party accreditation http://www.ahpa.org/Default.aspx?tabid=69&aId=649&zId=1
ADA Issues Import Alert for Products from Japan and a Consumer Notice Warning of Radiation-mitigating Medicines and Supplements
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it is automatically flagging all shipments of FDA-regulated products imported from Japan and has issued an Import Alert regarding the importation of all milk products and fresh produce from the four Japanese prefectures of Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma.
Entry of such products–which the agency acknowledges to be quite limited at this time–will be allowed only if shown to be free from radionuclide contamination, and other food products from Japan, such as seafood, will be diverted for testing by FDA before they can enter the US food supply. http://www.ahpa.org/Default.aspx?tabid=69&aId=651
10th Annual Oxford International Conference on the Science of Botanicals Set for April 11-14
The National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR) in Oxford, Miss., will be hosting the 10th annual International Conference on the Science of Botanicals on April 11-14, 2011. This conference is supported by a cooperative agreement between NCNPR and the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the Food and Drug Administration. The conference has been long recognized as a most important one for information exchanges between academia, government, and industry and is likely the best annual US conference for industry to attend for botanical science opportunities and information.