3rd MoniQa Food Fraud Prevention and Effective Food Allergen Management (30th Oct – 1st Nov, Rockville, MD USA)

Posted on by Cesare Varallo

As member of MoniQa and of the organizing committee is my greatest pleasure to invite all our readers to the 3rd Symposium on “Food Fraud Prevention and Effective Food Allergen Management” (30th October – 1st November 2019).

The event will take place in Rockville, MD, USA, hosted by the USP Meetings Centre, and will continue the successful series of MoniQA Workshops and Symposia (after Bari 2017 and Vienna 2018).

This symposium will bring together food industry experts, legal experts, regulators, academics and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to discuss the latest information on the implications of regulations and other burning issues in the food space. High level networking and outstanding knowledge about the matters are assured.

The event will address food authenticity, food fraud and the need for simple labelling as major drivers for both the food industry and companies involved in rapidly developing new analytical technologies, and putting available analytical tools in perspective of private standard requirements.

Day 1 will be focused on food authenticity, while day 2 will offer uncomparable insights about food allergen testing, management and labeling. The full program can be downloaded here. The speakers’ roster is yet to be finalized, so the following are just few of the names you’ll see on stage:

While the food industry must adapt its programs addressing food safety and quality to meet the ever-changing regulatory and legal landscape, law firms specializing in food issues must also ensure their knowledge of these changes is up-to-date when defending the rights of consumers and/or food producers. Additionally, recent technological developments in food analysis, digital certification and brand protection will be presented.

The 3rd edition of this International Symposium will also focus on the Food Law, its implications for industry and food businesses in international trade, export and import liabilities, critical issues of food integrity and food safety related issues governed by national and international regulations and standards, impacts of international trade agreements.

You can register here or write to rockville@moniqa.org

FDA Announces Public Meeting to Discuss Modernizing Food Standards of Identity

Posted on by Cesare Varallo
  • This is a very interesting update: the situation has to be strictly monitored by interested parties and trade associations representing food manufacturers and exporters to the US market.
  • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced it will hold a public meeting on September 27, 2019, to give interested parties an opportunity to discuss FDA’s effort to modernize food standards of identity and to provide information about changes the FDA could make to existing standards of identity.  FDA is particularly interested in changes that could be made across categories of standardized foods, often referred to as horizontal changes, to provide flexibility for manufacturers to develop healthier foods. FDA is particularly interested in changes that could be made across categories of standardized foods, often referred to as horizontal changes, to provide flexibility for manufacturers to develop healthier foods and to facilitate innovation.
  • The initiative is part of the agency’s comprehensive, multi-year Nutrition Innovation Strategy (NIS), which is designed to encourage industry innovation to improve the nutrition and healthfulness of food.  As part of the NIS, FDA is seeking to modernize food standards of identity in a manner that will: (1) protect consumers against economic adulteration; (2) maintain the basic nature, essential characteristics and nutritional integrity of food; and (3) promote industry innovation and provide flexibility to encourage manufacturers to produce healthier foods.
  • Because the agency issued many standards of identity decades ago, FDA and many stakeholders are concerned that some standards are out of date and may impede innovation. As consumers continue to seek more nutritious food options, FDA wants to ensure that standards of identity, or requirements outlining the content and production of certain food products, meet these expectations.  During a 2018 public meeting  on FDA’s Nutrition Innovation Strategy, many participants expressed general support for FDA exploring modernization options that could permit changes across all standards of identity, or broad categories of standards, to facilitate innovation and flexibility to reformulate products to produce more nutritious foods. FDA is seeking input about horizontal changes that may provide manufacturers with additional flexibility to use, for example, new technologies and new or novel ingredients without impacting the basic nature and essential characteristics of standardized foods.
  • The September 27th meeting will be held from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the Hilton Washington DC/Rockville Hotel, 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The meeting will include introductory presentations, a panel presentation, oral comments by attendees, as well as breakout sessions. Public meeting attendees are encouraged to register online to attend the meeting in person and via live webcast.
  • For questions about registering for the meeting or to register by phone, contact Mark Gifford, SIDEM, 1775 Eye Street, NW, Suite 1150, Washington, DC 20006, 240-393-4496, EventSupport@Sidemgroup.com.
  • For general questions about the meeting or to request special accommodations due to a disability, contact Juanita Yates, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (HFS-009), Food and Drug Administration, 5001 Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20740, phone: 240-402-1731, email: Juanita.Yates@fda.hhs.gov.
  • For more information about the meeting, as well as instructions on registration and requesting to make an oral presentation, see the Federal Register Notice announcing the meeting and the  meeting page.
Important Dates to Remember:
  • Request to make an oral comment: September 12, 2019
  • Request special accommodations due to disability: September 12, 2019
  • Advanced registration closing date: September 20, 2019
  • Public meeting: September 27, 2019, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Deadline to submit written/electronic comments: November 12, 2019