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Welcome to the Maryland Risk Management Education Blog, provided by the University of Maryland Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. This blog provides readers with information on risk management issues important to Maryland agriculture, upcoming events, and new materials that may interest readers.
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Vermont’s Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) Labeling Law: UPDATED!
By Ashley Ellixson Not too long ago, I gave an overview of genetically modified organisms and labeling laws in respect to them. To...
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Feb 23, 20162 min read
Cage-free eggs- Food trend, Animal Welfare and Politics
By Sarah Everhart One of the most popular recent food trends is the shift to cage-free eggs. Throughout 2015 many major food companies...
Sarah Everhart
Feb 9, 20163 min read
Food Law: The Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA)
By Ashley Ellixson Today we are jumping into the world of food law and taking a look of what is know as PACA, or the Perishable...
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Dec 8, 20152 min read
FSMA Final Rule On Produce Safety Is Released
By Rohan V. Tikekar, Ph.D The final rule on fresh produce safety has been released by the US FDA on November 13, 2015. The new rule...
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Nov 19, 20152 min read
Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015: GMO Discussion Continues
By Ashley Ellixson Remember when I said that there is no current Federal genetically modified foods (GMO) labeling law? And recall a few...
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Jun 17, 20153 min read
The Food Safety Modernization Act: Response and Enhanced Relationships
By Ashley Ellixson Today we will complete our look at the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) with a more detailed explanation of the...
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Apr 7, 20152 min read
The Food Safety Modernization Act: Inspection and Compliance
By Ashley Ellixson Our Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) overview continues today with a look at the inspection and compliance section. Not only does FSMA outline rules for farms and facilities but it also lays out the role of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in carrying out FSMA rules and ensuring compliance. This section is referred to as inspection and compliance and can be broken down into four main areas: 1) records and records access, 2) recalls, 3) registrat
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Mar 31, 20153 min read
Food Safety Modernization Act: The Produce Safety Rule
By Ashley Ellixson Today I am continuing our overview of the FSMA with a more detailed look at the Produce Safety Rule (Produce Rule). Feel free to reference my first two posts here and here where I explain briefly what the FSMA is and give a detailed look at the Preventive Controls Rule. The Produce Safety Rule The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released proposed revisions to the Produce Rule (Section 105) of FSMA on September 19, 2014 with a comment period that ended D
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Mar 24, 20154 min read
Food Safety Modernization Act: The Preventive Controls Rule
By Ashley Ellixson As promised, I will continue the series on the Food Modernization Act (FSMA) today with a closer look at whom FSMA applies to and to what extent it affects those impacted. If you would like a quick overview or missed my first post on FSMA, you can read it here. I will be focusing on the five key areas I discussed in that blog post from here on out. Today I am going to look more closely at the Preventive Controls (aka Preventive Rule). This rule is a big p
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Mar 17, 20155 min read
Introduction to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)
By Ashley Ellixson The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated in 2011 that 48 million people (or 1 in 6 Americans) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die each year of foodborne diseases. While these are startling numbers, this is a largely preventable issue according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As a result of this issue, Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in December 2010. What is FSMA? In short, it is legi
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Mar 10, 20152 min read
Food Labeling Continues: Let’s Talk About GMOs
Many of you have asked us to discuss genetically modified organism (GMO) labeling. This post will inform you of the present issues and the state of current regulations regarding genetically modified crops and foods. Right now there is no Federal law requiring a label stating that a product contains genetically modified products. It is also important to note there is no Federal definition of genetically modified. To clarify, let’s highlight a few definitions of GMO: Merriam
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Jan 21, 20153 min read
What is the Hubbub about Food Hubs?
By Sarah Everhart What is a food hub? In general, food hubs help farmers get their products from the field to the consumer. According to USDA’s definition, a regional food hub is “a business or organization that actively manages the aggregation, distribution and marketing of source-identified food products, primarily from local and regional producers to strengthen their ability to satisfy wholesale, retail and institutional demand.” Although there has been a lot of recent m
Sarah Everhart
Dec 22, 20143 min read
FDA’s Final Rules: Calorie Counts On Your Favorite Fast Foods?
By Ashley Ellixson On November 25, 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finalized two rules requiring that calorie information be listed on menus in chain restaurants and similar food establishments, as well as vending machines with 20 or more locations. The rules are required by the 2010 Patent Protection and Affordable Care Act. The reasoning behind the rules is the idea that consumers need the information in order to make informed choices for themselves and their
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Dec 1, 20142 min read
Introduction to Food Labels: What Do They Mean?
By Ashley Ellixson This post does should not be construed as legal advice. Country-of-origin labeling, genetically engineered food, all natural. If you have been to the grocery store or watched the news lately, you are sure to have heard or seen these terms. Are you confused as to what they mean or if they mean anything at all? You are not alone. Today I will cover a general overview of food labeling in the United States. Since there are an abundance of labels (whole grain
Admin
Nov 10, 20145 min read
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