Thursday, November 21, 2013

Save the Date: Summer Academy in Global Food Law and Policy


The Summer Academy in Global Food Law and Policy is a one-week summer program that brings together practitioners, policymakers, industry representatives, and leading academics working in the field of food law and policy. It offers intensive training on the most innovative developments in global food regulation and provides a unique opportunity for professional development and networking in an informal and interdisciplinary setting. By talking, studying, and interacting with food experts from all over the world, participants are able to gain new perspectives into both their own sectors and international regulatory issues. This is achieved by combining traditional classroom instruction with experiential learning opportunities offered by dedicated and distinguished international experts.

The 6th edition of the Academy will take place from Monday, 21 July, to Friday, 25 July, 2014, in Bilbao, Spain. The choice of this vibrant city will enable participants to benefit from the geographical location between the Atlantic sea and the Rioja region, as well as its distinctive architectural landscapes (with the Guggenheim Museum, Norman Foster's Underground, the towers by Arata Isozaki and César Pelli). For more information, please visit here.

The Summer Academy may be taken as a 3 credit, graduate-level course from Michigan State University.  Contact IFLR@msu.edu if you are interested in enrolling for graduate credit. If you wish only to attend as a seminar, enroll here.

Thursday, November 07, 2013

FDA proposes "de-GRASing" artificial trans fat


The Food and Drug Administration today proposed measures that would virtually eliminate artificial trans fats. Based on new scientific evidence and the findings of expert scientific panels, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has tentatively determined that partially hydrogenated oils, which are the primary dietary source of industrially-produced trans fatty acids, or trans fat, are not generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for any use in food based on current scientific evidence establishing the health risks associated with the consumption of trans fat, and therefore that PHOs are food additives. Although FDA has not listed the most commonly used PHOs, they have been used in food for many years based on self-determinations by industry that such use is GRAS. If finalized, this would mean that food manufacturers would no longer be permitted to sell partially hydrogenated oils, either directly or as ingredients in another food product, without prior FDA approval for use as a food additive.