The COVID-19 Report is a compilation of coronavirus news, analysis, and insights from around the world to help life sciences and health care companies stay current in this challenging time.
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On September 1, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) held a joint webinar to discuss the jointly-issued Employee Health and Food Safety Checklist for Human and...more
9/4/2020
/ Animal Food ,
CGMP ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Safety ,
Food Supply ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Safety Inspections ,
Social Distancing ,
Workplace Safety
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have released in draft form a report providing recommendations on how to prioritize access to a COVID-19 vaccine, once one is available.The National Academies are...more
The CDC recently released updated its guidance on the criteria for determining when a worker diagnosed with COVID-19 may return to work. The interim guidance, Discontinuation of Isolation for Persons with COVID-19 Not in...more
On July 15, 2020, the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board passed first-in-the-nation codified emergency temporary standards (the Standards) establishing requirements for employers to control, prevent, and mitigate the...more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced that routine inspections of small businesses to verify compliance with the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act’s (FSMA) Intentional Adulteration (IA) rule will...more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released its “Blueprint for the Future” (Blueprint) as part of the New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative. Launched in April 2019, this effort seeks to build upon FDA’s...more
A recent action by the National Advertising Division (NAD), a self regulatory arm of the Better Business Bureau, addresses the level of proof necessary to support “natural” and “satiety” claims involving competing experts and...more
Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, the Commissioner of Food and Drugs for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement on July 10, 2020, describing the agency’s intentions and approach to resuming domestic inspections in light...more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a guidance document titled Testing Strategy for COVID-19 in High-Density Critical Infrastructure Workplaces after a COVID-19 Case is Identified (the Guidance),...more
6/19/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Essential Workers ,
Food Service Workers ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently released several guidelines for various segments of the food industry to address the COVID-19 pandemic. First, CDC issued Interim...more
6/9/2020
/ Agricultural Workers ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Meat Processing Plants ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Poultry ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Screening Procedures ,
Workplace Safety
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently provided an update from FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn M.D. and Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response Frank Yiannas on the forthcoming New Era of Smarter Food...more
On May 27, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued new guidance for human food establishments on voluntarily reporting to FDA temporary closures or significantly reduced production due to the COVID-19 public...more
5/28/2020
/ Animal Food ,
Business Closures ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Farms ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Supply ,
Manufacturing Facilities ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Retailers ,
Self-Reporting
On May 22, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced two policies to provide temporary flexibility with respect to packaged foods formulation and labeling requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. The...more
On May 19, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) authorizing federal agencies to provide regulatory relief to support the economic response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Specifically, the EO allows agencies to rescind,...more
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently issued a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding the potential use of the Defense Production Act (DPA) with regard to...more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued Interim Guidance from CDC and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Manufacturing Workers and Employers (the Interim Guidance), which...more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently provided an update regarding its plans for conducting routine surveillance inspections of domestic and foreign facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. FDA announced in...more
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently issued a COVID-19 industry guidance intended for facilities that process or pack meat, dairy, or produce to support a safe and clean environment for workers. In...more
5/16/2020
/ Agribusiness ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Training ,
Farm Animals ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Safety ,
Food Supply ,
Meat Processing Plants ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Social Distancing ,
Workplace Decontamination ,
Workplace Safety
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently updated its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) webpage regarding COVID-19 to include a section on President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) invoking the Defense...more
A recent court decision struck down a 2018 final rule by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), which had relaxed sodium and whole grains requirements for the National School Lunch...more
On May 1, 2020, Blue Bell Creameries L.P. (Blue Bell) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) entered into two separate agreements related to the 2015 listeriosis outbreak linked to Blue Bell ice cream. This memorandum...more
Late Tuesday, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue sent letters to state governors and meat and poultry processing company leaders setting forth USDA’s expectations for continued operations during the...more
5/8/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Agriculture ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Safety ,
Food Supply ,
Meat Processing Plants ,
OSHA ,
Secretary of Agriculture ,
USDA ,
Workplace Safety
This week, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order invoking the Defense Production Act (DPA) to protect the meat and poultry production supply chain. In the Executive Order, entitled, Delegating Authority Under The...more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have issued interim guidance on COVID-19 considerations for meat and poultry processing workers and employers. This...more
5/1/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Farm Animals ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Safety ,
Food Supply ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Meat Processing Plants ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Poultry ,
Public Health ,
Workplace Safety