U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a CSMS message announcing that the Food and Drug Administration has created two new Affirmation of Compliance (AofC) codes - KIT and DDM - to address shipments of kits containing finished devices imported into the U.S.
On December 15, 2011, the Food and Drug Administration posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:
The Food and Drug Administration has posted a November 30, 2011 presentation with a broad overview of its import operations and how it regulates imported products. It describes in general terms the statutory authority of Section 801 of the Federal Food Drug & Cosmetic (FFD&CA), FDA's entry review process, detentions, examinations and sampling, refusal of admission, etc.
The Environmental Protection Agency has released a letter inviting a broad assortment of laboratories to participate in the final stages of the EPA's development and validation of the ease of use test method for residential climate controls. Given the similarity of these products to programmable thermostats, EPA regards usability as a key feature for delivering on their energy saving potential. The new test method must be able to reliably differentiate highly usable products, which are more likely to deliver savings, from those that are more difficult to program and use. EPA will host a call on December 20, 2011, 1:00PM EST to discuss this round robin and EPA-recognition for labs. RSVP to climatecontrols@energystar.gov or Abigail Daken at daken.abigail@epa.gov, (202)-343-9375, by December 16, 2011.
The Environmental Protection Agency has added three hydrocarbons as acceptable alternatives in household and small commercial refrigerators and freezers through EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program. The three hydrocarbon refrigerants approved as acceptable substitutes, with use conditions, are propane, isobutane, and a chemical known as R-441A. These newly-approved refrigerants can be used to replace ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-12 and hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-22 in household refrigerators, freezers, combination refrigerator-freezers, and commercial stand-alone units.
On December 14, 2011, the Food and Drug Administration posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:
On December 13, 2011, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to consumers about a potential association between the development of illness in dogs and the consumption of chicken jerky products. The products, also called chicken tenders, strips, or treats, are imported from China. FDA continues to receive complaints of sick dogs that their owners or veterinarians associate with eating chicken jerky products though testing to date has not determined a precise cause for the reported illnesses. FDA states that it continues to actively investigate the problem.
On December 13, 2011, the Food and Drug Administration posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:
On December 1, 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a proposed rule to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy for light-duty vehicles for model years 2017--2025. Comments on the proposed rule are due by January 30, 2012. Prior to the comment close date, EPA and NHTSA will hold public hearings in Detroit (Jan 17), Philadelphia (Jan 19) and San Francisco (Jan 24). (FR Pub 12/09/11)
On December 12, 2011, the Food and Drug Administration posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of: