EPA Regulations for Food

The Environmental Protection Agency is a government agency concerned with the health and safety of our environment. They must make and enforce rules and regulations for food producers to follow that will ensure that damage does not occur to our waterways, air and land as well as to wildlife. There is a list of statues for almost all food producers, some of which are specific and others which fall under the broad Food Quality Protection Act.

Meat and Poultry Production

• The Effluent Guidelines for Meat and Poultry Producers provide for a number of restrictions. Overall, the guidelines are concerned with air pollution and water contamination. The regulations primarily target slaughter and rendering facilities and outline the allowable steps and penalties if they are not followed. This includes waste-water treatment options and disposal as well as data collection information and inspection. There are resources for these producers that will help them decide what technology is available to them to limit their impact on environment. The regulations are very specific and begin with live animal holding all the way down to the packaging of the meat or poultry.

Manufacturers of Nutritional Yeast

• Yeast production is regulated by the EPA to reduce hazardous air pollutants. Acetaldehyde is a primary toxic pollutant and is a by-product of yeast production.The regulations enact the Clean Air Act, whose standards require reduction of emissions by 43 percent. This is to be achieved by installation of maximum achievable control technology (MACT). The yeast manufacturers used to be under the bakeries category but this was changed due to different HAP (hazardous air pollution) potential.

Vegetable Oil Production

• The regulations for vegetable oil production govern the solvents used to extract the oil. The hazardous potential of these is addressed and the Clean Air Act is cited again. Regulated factories are those that extract oil from corn germ, cottonseed, flax, peanuts, rapeseed, safflower, soybeans or sunflowers. Flour and grain mills are also regulated by the EPA in this category. Reduction of the HAP n-hexane is the major result of the restrictions.

Food Quality Protection Act

• The EPA has a broad act that encompasses pesticide use and safety on consumed foods. It not only regulates pesticide use but also has a consumer right-to-know standard and standards for improved food safety.The goals of this act are to reduce pesticide risks, especially to children, and to work with scientists to constantly assess and reassess hazards in new or currently used pesticides.