Regulatory and Policy Update: What the Change in Administration Could Mean for the Meat Industry

With the change in administration, participants in the meat industry are closely eyeing what new leadership at USDA and other regulatory bodies could mean for areas including food safety, worker safety, and animal welfare. 

In the virtual 2021 Annual Meat Conference, a panel of leading experts in regulatory and policy issues discussed updates on these factors and what industry participants at all levels might need to be prepared for in 2021. 

Panelists included Casey Gallimore, Director and Scientific Affairs, North American Meat Institue; and Andrew Harig, Vice President, Tax, Trade, Sustainability & Policy Development, FMI.  

Harig kicked off the panel by noting how Washington in March 2021 is drastically different from Washington in March 2020...

Kroger Health Increases COVID-19 Vaccination Capacity to One Million Doses Per Week

Kroger Health, the healthcare division of The Kroger Co. announced it has significantly increased operational capacity to administer the COVID-19 vaccine, achieving the ability to deliver one million doses per week through in-store pharmacies and clinics, and mass vaccination off-site events.

To vaccinate more Americans more quickly, Kroger Health will use the first hour of pharmacy operations as a focus hour assigned to administering the three FDA-authorized vaccines. Patients will continue to have the ability to schedule appointments for various times, but the morning focus hour will allow for additional COVID-19 vaccines to be administered. To accomplish the administration of one million doses per week, the plan requires...

Food and Agricultural Workers Prioritized for COVID-19 Vaccine Under Phase 1b

The devastating effects of the pandemic on food and agricultural workers were on full display during the early stage of COVID-19 in the U.S. last year. Several processing plants in the nation experienced complications related to the virus, impacting thousands of employees and upending the food supply chain.

Union representatives and the nation’s largest meat processors are pressing for food and agricultural workers to receive high priority for vaccinations. Phase 1a, the first priority group including...

How the FDA is Supporting the Distribution of the COVID-19 Vaccination to Food and Ag Workers

Stephen M. Hahn, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs, and Frank Yiannas, M.P.H., Deputy Commissioner of Food Policy and Response, are speaking out on the importance of distributing the COVID-19 vaccine to food and agriculture workers. In an article posted to the FDA’s website, Hahn and Yiannas explain 21 FORWARD, the new data analysis tool that the agency created to help inform their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

For those unfamiliar with 21 FORWARD, it was developed...

NPPC Submits Comments on Proposed USDA Rule for Gene-Edited Livestock

For more than two years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has dragged its feet on the development of gene-edited livestock, an emerging technology with tremendous promise for livestock agriculture,causing American agriculture to fall behind in the global race to advance its development. Thankfully, under a recently proposed rule, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will have primary regulatory jurisdiction, which “will foster innovation, allow for producer access to this technology, and preserve the preeminence of American agriculture globally,” the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) wrote in comments submitted Wednesday to the agency.

Gene editing is used to make specific changes within an animal’s own genome. Gene editing will allow us to produce animals that are more disease-resistant, require fewer antibiotics and with...

Grocers Begin Offering the COVID-19 Vaccine

As shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine are being sent out around the United States, grocery chains are preparing to offer the vaccine through their pharmacies. Clearance for immunizations came in December, after the FDA authorized the use of the first COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech SE. The second vaccine to be authorized was developed by Moderna, which the FDA stated can be given to people 18 years of age and older and cited the shot's high effectiveness in preventing COVID-19 in a large clinical study.

Kroger announced it will provide the COVID-19 vaccine nationwide across its 2,200 pharmacies and 220 clinics, partnering with the federal government and state health departments to administer the vaccine in accordance with...

FDA Warns Whole Foods Market After Repeated Food Recalls for Undeclared Allergens

Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted a warning letter issued to Whole Foods Market for a pattern of receiving and offering for sale misbranded food products necessitating a series of food recalls for allergens. In the last year, Whole Foods Market has recalled more than 30 food products because the presence of major food allergens was not listed on the finished product labels. The FDA noticed similar patterns of numerous recalls by Whole Foods Market for undeclared allergens in previous years as well. These products included...

FDA Issues Emergency Use Authorization for First COVID-19 Vaccine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the first emergency use authorization (EUA) for a vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals 16 years of age and older. The emergency use authorization allows the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to be distributed in the U.S.

“The FDA’s authorization for emergency use of the first COVID-19 vaccine is a significant milestone in battling this devastating pandemic that has affected so many families in the United States and around the world,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D. “Today’s action follows an open and transparent...

A Look at Potential Regulatory Impacts on the Meat Industry Ahead of Biden Presidency

In the final session of the North American Meat Institute’s Post-Election Outlook Series, the discussion revolved around the regulatory implications of the incoming Biden Administration. A pair of experts explored what companies will have in store from a compliance perspective.

Carmen Rottenberg, former Administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Managing Director for Groundswell Strategy and Christopher DeLacy, Partner, Holland & Knight were the panelists for the discussion...