Day: August 26, 2008

The Department of Agriculture on July 29 issued an interim final rule for the mandatory country of origin labeling program that will become effective Sept. 30. The rule covers muscle cuts and ground beef and includes veal, lamb, chicken, goat, and pork. The USDA implemented the COOL program for fish and shellfish covered commodities in October 2004. Commodities covered under COOL must be labeled at retail to indicate their country of origin. They are, however, excluded from mandatory labeling if they are an ingredient in a processed food item. The USDA has also revised the definition of

The Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine has posted the Cumulative Adverse Drug Experiences Summaries Report on its Web site. The ADE report summarizes information about adverse experiences that CVM received from 1987 to July 7, 2008, by the active ingredient of each drug. Each entry lists the route of administration, species, number of animals, and signs of adverse reactions. Entries list signs of adverse reactions in order of frequency, from most to least frequent. The report is at www.fda.gov/cvm/ade_cum.htm. The Web page also links to the “List of Brand Names Associated with Active Ingredients,” “ADE