Abstract: This hearing examines the adequacy of current labeling requirements for food imports and discusses whether or not there is a need to expand or reform these labeling requirements. Testimony was received from several federal officials (including representatives from the General Accounting Office, the Customs Service, the Dept. of Agriculture, and the Dept. of Health and Human Services) and numerous corporate and industry representatives. The specific topic of the hearing was country-of-origin labeling.

Explains process of importing goods into the U.S., including informed compliance, invoices, duty assessments, classification and value, marking requirements, etc.

Abstract: This hearing examines the adequacy of current labeling requirements for food imports and discusses whether or not there is a need to expand or reform these labeling requirements. Testimony was received from several federal officials (including representatives from the General Accounting Office, the Customs Service, the Dept. of Agriculture, and the Dept. of Health and Human Services) and numerous corporate and industry representatives. The specific topic of the hearing was country-of-origin labeling.

The FDA¿s increased attention to food imports from China is an indicator of safety concerns as imported food becomes more common in the U.S. Addressing safety risks associated with these imports is difficult because of the vast array of products from China, China¿s weak enforcement of food safety standards, its heavy use of ag. chem., and environ. pollution. FDA refusals of food shipments from China suggest recurring problems with ¿filth,¿ unsafe additives, labeling, and vet. drug residues in fish and shellfish. Chinese authorities try to control food export safety by certifying exporters and the farms that supply them. However, monitoring such a wide range of products for the different hazards is a difficult challenge for Chinese and U.S. officials. Ill.

Advances in Food and Beverage Labelling reviews recent advances in labelling research and regulation, covering issues such as nutrition and hazard information, traceability, health claims and standardisation, as well as new labelling technologies and consumer issues. The EU Food Information Regulation will come into force in December 2014 and the book is designed to provide timely and useful information to manufacturers in this area, as well as on a global scale. Part one covers the different types of information that can, or must be present on a food label. Part two looks at recent developments in food labelling technology, regulations and enforcement. - Brings together contributions from industry, trade bodies, government and academia. - Offers timely advice for those concerned with the legal framework for food labelling, with information about the EU Food Information Regulation, as well as the US market. - Reviews issues surrounding nutrition and health claims and GM, ethical and environmental labelling.

As the last quarter of 2015 begins, production data show that total red meat and poultry production, aggregated over the first three quarters of 2015, increased by less than 1 percent over the same period of 2014. In the first three quarters of 2015, beef production is about 3 percent below production in the same period last year. Cattle prices so far in 2015 have averaged almost 3 percent above prices in the same period of 2014. Production effects of disease outbreaks link the pork and poultry sectors, but in divergent directions: the pork sector continues to recover from the effects of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PEDv) outbreaks last year, with total production in the first three quarters of 2015 almost 8 percent ahead of the same period in 2014. The poultry sector is recovering from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), the effects of which has fallen so far on the turkey sector (2 percent lower production) and the egg sector (5 percent lower production). Turkey prices have averaged almost 6 percent above the same period last year; average egg prices are almost 36 percent above the same period of 2014. Broiler production is up in 2015 by 4 percent.