On May 26, Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed into law two bills related to food chemical safety; specifically, the nation’s first state-level ban on paraquat (H.739) and legislation setting heavy metals testing and disclosure requirements for baby food manufacturers (H.536).
Highlighting contaminated seafood as a particular concern, the Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act answers FDA’s request for the authority to destroy food imports that do not pass safety inspections at the border, preventing importers from “port shopping” their unsafe products.
The bipartisan bill would prohibit the sale of “mislabeled” alternative protein products, requiring such products to bear “accurate” labels that clearly differentiate them from conventional meat and poultry.
New Mexico has published a final rule enforcing the New Mexico PFAS Protection Act, outlining a staggered prohibition on the sale of products containing intentionally added PFAS, and describing a PFAS warning label for products still containing the chemicals.
The Federal and State Food Safety Information Sharing Act of 2026 would give FDA the authority to shareinformation with state and local regulatory agencies with shared responsibility for protecting public health.
The draft bill proposes sweeping reforms to FDA’s food safety oversight, including GRAS process changes, infant and baby food safety provisions, and federal preemption of state laws. Consumer groups say the FRESH Act’s GRAS reforms and federal preemption language would weaken U.S. food safety.
Among other provisions, the Food Labeling Modernization Act would set conditions for the use of the terms “natural” and “healthy,” expedite the creation of a front-of-pack nutrition labeling system, and improve ingredient list readability.
The bills to be discussed address issues like “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) determinations, food chemical safety reassessments, food labeling, infant formula and baby food safety, information-sharing between federal and state agencies, additional FDA authorities for human foods oversight, and other topics.
The Food Safety and Chemical Disclosure Act would mandate public disclosures of “Generally Recognized as Safe” substances used in foods manufactured or sold in New York. It has passed the Assembly and Senate, and now awaits the Governor’s signature into law.
Per the new law, restaurants must place an identifying marker on any food item prepared for delivery or takeout that has been altered or substituted due to a consumer-identified food allergy or sensitivity.
