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Note: This website is intended to provide general information about legal issues, crop insurance, farm policy, and other risk management issues and should not be construed as providing legal advice. It should not be cited or relied upon as legal authority. For advice about how the issues discussed here might apply to your individual situation, you should consult an attorney.
Welcome to the Maryland Risk Management Education Blog, provided by the University of Maryland Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and features the work of the Maryland Crop Insurance Education program and the University of Maryland - MPowering the State's Agriculture Law Education Initiative, a University of Maryland Extension Signature Program. 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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Sarah Everhart
- Feb 9, 2016
- 3 min
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 such as General Mills, restaurant chains such as Dunkin Donuts, and food manufacturers such as ConAgra Foods announced transitioning to the use of cage-free eggs. Arguably one of the most influential players in the food industry, the fast-food giant McDonalds announced in September, 2015 its plans to replace all eggs (approximately 2 billion
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Admin
- Dec 8, 2015
- 2 min
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 Agricultural Commodities Act. If you’re in the produce business, you likely already know about PACA and if you do not, it’s imperative that you do. PACA is the federal law enacted by request of the fruit and vegetable industry to promote fair trade. PACA covers dealings in fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables by establishing and enforcing a stan
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Admin
- Nov 19, 2015
- 2 min
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 addresses requirements in five key areas pertaining to produce safety. These are agricultural water; biological soil amendments; sprouts, domesticated and wild animals; worker training and health and hygiene; and equipment, tools and building. The published rule includes several specific exemptions and the compliance dates vary based on the size
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Admin
- Jun 17, 2015
- 3 min
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 weeks ago when I updated you on Vermont’s GMO labeling law and its current constitutional challenge? Well, today I will outline what could eventually be a Federal GMO labeling law which would effectively preempt all state laws on the topic. So what does that mean exactly? There would be Federal regulations outlining requirements for GMO labe
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Admin
- Apr 7, 2015
- 2 min
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 response and enhanced relationships elements of the rule. To date, we have previously looked at the preventive controls rule, the produce safety rule, and inspection and compliance. In no way have my blog posts covered every item laid out in the FSMA, but over the last few weeks we have covered the five major elements labeled as critical to
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Admin
- Mar 31, 2015
- 3 min
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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Ellie Pearson
- Mar 24, 2015
- 4 min
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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Admin
- Mar 17, 2015
- 5 min
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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Admin
- Mar 10, 2015
- 2 min
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 legis
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Admin
- Jan 21, 2015
- 3 min
Food Labeling Continues: Let’s Talk About GMOs
By Ashley Ellixson 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 definiti
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Sarah Everhart
- Dec 22, 2014
- 3 min
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
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Admin
- Dec 1, 2014
- 2 min
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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Admin
- Nov 10, 2014
- 5 min
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
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