Congressional Research Service Reports - 23 Matching Results

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WIC Food Package: History of the Sugar Cap
This report provides a historic review of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food package and the controversy over the sugar cap on cereals allowed in the program.
Organic Foods and the Proposed Federal Certification and Labeling Program
In mid-December 1997, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published in the Federal Register a proposed rule to establish national standards for the marketing of organically produced foods. 1 The purpose of the rule is to give consumers confidence in the legitimacy of all products sold as organic, permit legal action against these who use the term fraudulently, and increase the supply and variety of available organic products, especially of meat and poultry products,
Science Behind the Regulation of Food Safety: Risk Assessment and the Precautionary Principle
Although Congress, the President and agency administrators support the use of science as a basis for food safety regulatory activities, there are controversies about how science can best be used for this purpose. Supporters of science-based regulations regard conclusions from well-designed scientific studies as largely impartial and fair;
Food Additive Regulations: A Chronology
The 104th Congress is actively debating proposals to reform several aspects of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) process for regulating consumer products, including its approval process for food additives. In June 1995, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced at a House Government Reform and Oversight Subcommittee hearing several policy shifts in its food additive pre-market approval process which will soon be implemented.
The World Food Summit
Governments participating in the 1996 World Food Summit will examine how to deal with world hunger and malnutrition and achieve the goal of food security for all. There is broad agreement on the desirability of the Summit's goal, but controversy has developed over such issues as the relationship of trade liberalization and food security, the advisability of declaring a legal right to food, the link between population stabilization and reproductive health and food security, and responsibility within the UN system for Summit follow-up.
Pesticide Legislation: Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-170)
This report discusses the 104th Congress' significant changes to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) governing the U.S. sale and use of pesticide products, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), which limits presticide residues on food, made under the "Food Quality Protection Act of 1996" (FQPA).
The Delaney Dilemma: Regulating Pesticide Residues in Foods -- Seminar Proceedings, March 16, 1993
A provision in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Delaney Clause, appears to lower risks in the setting of tolerances for pesticide residues. It prohibits any substance from being added to processed foods if it induces cancer in man or animals. In reality, the provision created a dilemma because the zero-risk statute makes it difficult to regulate pesticides. Because of the prescription of Delaney, tolerances (legal limits) are established differently for carcinogens and non-carcinogens and in raw and processed foods.
The Delaney Clause: The Dilemma of Regulating Health Risk for Pesticide Residues
Under the authority of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for establishing tolerances for pesticide residues in or on foods and feeds. Tolerances are legal limits to the amount of pesticide residues that can be found on a raw agricultural commodity at the farm gate or in a processed food. The FFDCA has two sections, 408 and 409, which set up different and inconsistent criteria for setting tolerances for pesticide residues in foods.
Food Stamp Benefits for Legal Immigrants in P.L. 105-185
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA; P.L. 104-193) established significant new restrictions on the eligibility of legal immigrants, or "qualified aliens," for needs-based public assistance.' Previously, legal immigrants were eligible for public assistance on much the same basis as citizens. Food stamp eligibility will be provided for approximately 250,000 legal immigrants under P.L. 105-185, the "Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998," at a cost of $818 million for FY1999-FY2003. The food stamp eligibility provisions took effect on November 1, 1998.
Food Safety Agencies and Authorities: A Primer
Several federal agencies, in cooperation with state governments, are responsible for regulating the safety of the U.S. food supply. In the wake of an outbreak of foodborne illness and the largest recall of suspected contaminated meat in U.S. history in August 1997, several policymakers have reopened the debate on creating a single, independent, federal food safety agency. They assert that this would provide more effective regulatory control over the entire farm-to-table food production and marketing system by eliminating the overlapping and occasionally competing for objectives of multiple agencies. As background for further discussion on this and related food safety issues, this report describes the roles of the primary federal and cooperating state agencies responsible for food safety and enumerates the major legislative authorities currently governing them.
Pesticide Legislation: Food Quality Protection Act of 1996
The 104th congress enacted significant changes to the Federal Insecticide, fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), governing U.S. sale and use of pesticide products, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), which limits pesticide residues on food. The vehicle of these changes was H.R. 1627, the "Food Quality Protection Act of 1996" (FQPA), enacted August 3, 1996, as Public Law 104-170. Under FIFRA, the new law will facilitate registrations and reregistrations of pesticides for special (so-called"minor") uses and authorize collection of maintenance fees of support pesticide reregistration. Food safety provisions will establish a single standard of safety for pesticide residue on raw and processed foods; provide information through large food retail stores to consumers about the health risks of pesticide residues and how to avoid them; preempt state and local food safety laws if they are based on concentrations of pesticide residues below recently established federal residue limits(called"tolerances"); and ensure that tolerances protect the health of infants and children.
Food and Agriculture Provisions in the FY1997 Supplemental Appropriations Act
This report addresses Food and Agriculture provisions in the FY1997 Supplemental Appropriations Act.
The 1996 Farm Bill: Comparisons of Selected Provisions with Previous Law
Final congressional approval was given to H.R. 2854, the Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform (FAIR) Act, otherwise known as the "1996 farm bill," on March 28, 1996. President Clinton signed the bill into law on April 4, 1996 (P.L. 104-127). In tabular format, this CRS report lays out in descriptive, rather than legislative language, the major provisions of the new farm bill in contrast to preceding law.
Food and Agriculture: Prospective Issues in the 105th Congress
Implementation of major farm and food program changes enacted last year under omnibus farm (P.L.104-127) and welfare (P.L.104-193) measures is likely to draw the attention of the 105th Congress. The size and cost of these programs also could make them a target for reductions in congressional efforts to balance the budget.
Food Safety Agencies and Authorities: A Primer
No Description Available.
Food and Drug Administration: Selected Funding and Policy Issues
No Description Available.
U.S.-European Agricultural Trade: Food Safety and Biotechnology Issues
The European Union (EU) is the second largest market for U.S. agricultural exports. The EU's ban on meat produced using growth-promoting hormones is a food safety issue that has been particularly contentious in U.S.-EU agricultural trade relations. EU policy on bio-engineered products has also been an issue. A World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel has ruled that the ban contravenes the EU's international obligations under the WTO, but left open the option to the EU to conduct a risk assessment of hormone-treated meat. Rules governing trade in bio-engineered products may become an issue in WTO agricultural trade negotiations scheduled to begin in 1999. This report will be updated as events warrant.
Federal Regulatory Structure for Egg Safety: Fact Sheet
This report discusses the federal role in regulating egg safety. Although the egg industry is primarily responsible for ensuring the safety of its products, four federal agencies hold statutory responsibilities for egg safety.
Iraq: Humanitarian Needs, Impact of Sanctions, and the “Oil for Food” Program. August 1998
This report discusses these shortages, and what the "oil for food" program, established by the U.N. Security Council, is doing to alleviate them.
Food Stamp Benefits for Legal Immigrants in P.L. 105-185
No Description Available.
Child Nutrition Issues in the 105th Congress
This report covers proposed and enacted legislative initiatives to change child nutrition programs (including the WIC program) during 1997 and 1998.
Food and Agriculture Provisions in the FY1997 Supplemental Appropriations Act
Report providing an overview of provisions and funding related to food and agriculture program as a part of a supplemental appropriations bill (P.L. 105-18, H.R. 1871).
World Health Organization: A Fact Sheet
The World Health organization (WHO), established in 1948, is the United Nations system's authority on international public health issues. It assists governments in improving national health services and in establishing worldwide standards for foods, chemicals, and biological and pharmaceutical products. WHO concentrates on preventive rather than curative programs, including efforts to eradicate endemic and other widespread diseases, stabilize population growth, improve nutrition, sanitation, and maternal and child care. WHO is not an operational agency. It works through contracts with other agencies and private voluntary organizations.
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