Citizen Petition - I. Actions Requested

We respectfully request that the Commissioner of Food and Drugs issue regulations and guidance establishing a maximum limit of opiate alkaloid contamination of poppy seeds, as well as issue an import alert and take other necessary actions to ensure the safety of imported poppy seeds. [...] Issue regulations and guidance establishing a maximum permissible threshold of opiate alkaloid contamination of poppy seeds sold in the United States and describing current good manufacturing practices to reduce the presence of opiate alkaloids in poppy seeds; and 2. [...] The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment recommended a maximum morphine concentration of 4 mg/kg in poppy seeds.65 Likewise, the United Kingdom has issued guidance setting a target concentration of 10 mg/kg morphine for poppy seeds placed on the market destined for the final consumer.66 In the United States, the DEA issued a notice in November 2019 confirming that seeds contaminated with o. [...] Certification The undersigned certify, that, to the best knowledge and belief of the undersigned, this petition includes all information and views on which the petition relies, and that it includes representative data and information known to the petitioner which are unfavorable to the petition. [...] Armed with this knowledge and as a direct result of their son’s death, it is now the Hacalas’ strong desire to raise awareness of the dangers of unprocessed poppy seeds and to advocate for changes in policy, control, and enforcement to stop the unlawful and dangerous importation and distribution of morphine-contaminated poppy seeds.