Food and Drug Administration Warning Letters:
As many of you already know, on October 1st, 2019 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released warning letters on their website for several ink manufactures. What is important to know is that both letters were issued and dated in 2018. They are not new letters. What the FDA failed to provide was the corrective actions taken by both companies. Both Ink companies had corrected the issues that the FDA had identified well within the time limit proposed. These companies called out by the FDA as well as all our member companies are constantly working to meet current regulations, be prepared for future regulations and to ensure our industry standards are higher than both.
It is also important to know that the Coalition for Tattoo Safety strives to establish and enforce that all its manufacture members follow Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). Above that, the CTS pushes its members and the tattoo industry to self-regulate, develop best practices for our industry and continue education. We are a very unique industry and as we grow it is imperative that we go above and beyond what the outside world views us as by continuing to self-regulate at a higher level. After all, it is us tattooers and manufactures that know why and how tattoos actually work.
What’s happening in D.C.?
The U.S. House is set to have a preliminary hearing on the draft bill sometime at the end of this month or in November. During the hearing members of congress will be debating and hearing testimony from stakeholders. Following the hearing they would schedule what is known as a “mark-up”, during which they would make changes to the bill and then vote on it. The next step would be a vote on the bill on the House floor. The CTS is planning another trip to meet with Congress in preparation for the hearing. Stay tuned for updates on our next visit.
