New regs for Thursday: Donated food, avocados, air conditioners

In Thursday’s edition of the Federal Register, the Food and Drug Administration is proposing new requirements for food donated to nutrition programs, the Environmental Protection Agency is allowing avocado growers to continue using a certain fungicide and the Energy Department is finalizing new test procedures for air conditioners and heat pumps.  

Donated foods: The Food and Drug Administration wants to change the requirements for processing food that’s donated to the National School Lunch Program and other child nutrition or food distribution programs.

The proposed rule would require multi-state processors to enter into National Processing Agreements and ensure that donated foods are safely stored by maintaining documents to verify the effectiveness of quality control systems.

{mosads}It would also allow processors to substitute any donated food delivered by a USDA vendor with generic brands that are purchased commercially or are of equal or better quality. Purchased beef, pork or poultry, however, must meet the same specifications as the donated product, including inspection, grading, testing and humane handling standards. USDA must also approve it as a substitute before it is used.

The public will have 60 days to comment on the proposed rule.

Avocados: The Environmental Protection Agency is issuing a final rule to allow avocado growers to use the fungicide  propiconazole for another three years.

The EPA said it received a request to extend the use of propiconazole on avocados to control laurel wilt disease in Florida. Under the rule, propiconazole residue in or on avocados must not reach more than 10 parts per million.

The rule will expire on Dec. 31, 2019.

Air conditions and heat pumps: The Department of Energy is making changes to its test procedures for central air conditioners and heat pumps.

Manufactures must follow these procedures to ensure their products comply with applicable energy conservation standards under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975.

The final rules require manufactures to wait four to 8 hours before measuring the power of units that require the crankcase heating system to reach thermal equilibrium after setting the test conditions and sets new external static pressure requirements for all units.

The rule will take effect in 30 days.