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This post is on an open comment period held by APHIS, an agency within the USDA, titled Movement of Certain Genetically Engineered Organisms. I know it’s a mouthful, which is why I’m going to deconstruct it here. APHIS has been the main regulatory agency for biotechnology and GMOs since 1987. If you need a refresher on…

Today I’d like to go over some common label claims and dive into what they mean (or don’t mean). All of these I’ve seen on products while grocery shopping. There are so many claims, and they are ever-changing, so this will not be the last post on the topic. If you have questions about something…

The USDA has an open comment period titled Identifying Regulatory Reform Initiatives. It comes from an Executive Order signed in February 2017 requiring federal agencies to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens. This order requires each agency to establish a Regulatory Reform Task Force and Officer. They evaluate regulations and make recommendations for repeals and modifications. Specifically,…

This post is another introduction into regulations. As you probably know, the USDA has many departments and functions. What I’ll be covering today is the arm known as the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and their task of developing, maintaining, implementing, and verifying grade standards. Why do these exist? Primarily because industrial and large-volume buyers use…

A lot of my recent posts have covered specific food items, and I feel like the Important Dates sections has been slightly neglected. This may have something to do with the resignation of the FDA Commissioner, but there is a new acting Department Head, and I’m starting to see notices posted by the FDA again….

This week is another fun post covering sparkling wine and bubbles. If you drink alcohol, I’m sure you’ve had some type of sparkling wine to celebrate a wedding, birthday, New Year, or other special occasion. You may have noticed that the bubbles have a different texture in different wines. This post will be a little…

Cereals are one of the most widely consumed foods worldwide, making up over half of the world average diet. Chances are, you eat some form of cereal, oats, rice, or bread. Do you know what types you are consuming and how they are labeled? This post will dive into these topics. Cereal grains appear on…

It can come from cows, goats, buffalo, horses, even humans (though you won’t find that one in the grocery store). The U.S. is the third largest consumer of milk worldwide, behind only India and the EU. While consumption has been declining steadily since the 1970s, milk still makes up a large portion of the American…

I’m taking another break this week from the super serious to write about something more lighthearted that I’m sure many people are curious about. Marijuana, cannabis, pot, weed, ganja, herb… it goes by many names, and it can be a tricky topic to navigate. Many legal changes are recent, and state laws differ from federal…