The Senate Committee on Appropriations has approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which would restore some FDA funding and address some effects of the Trump Administration on the agency.
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) laboratories now use an improved enrichment method for Campylobacter in poultry meat samples, which reduced enrichment incubation time by half, and shaved a day off of reporting times for results.
Following FDA’s announcement of its intent to end the use of artificial food colorants—largely by relying on voluntary action by industry—the agency has authorized a fourth petition for a naturally sourced food dye, Gardenia Blue. FDA is also reminding industry that even “natural” colorants must be approved by the agency.
Switzerland has banned bisphenol A (BPA) and other hazardous bisphenols in food contact materials, but the regulation’s definition of hazardous BPAs is based on the chemicals’ molecular structure—notably leaving out some common, possibly harmful bisphenols like bisphenol M and bisphenol P.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reevaluated the safety of artificial sweetener acesulfame potassium (also known as acesulfame K, or additive E 950) for the first time since 2000, raising the acceptable daily intake. However, EFSA recommended lowering the maximum limits for lead and mercury in E 950.
U.S. Representatives have reintroduced the Food Chemical Reassessment Act of 2025 to Congress, which would require FDA to reevaluate the safety of chemicals—including “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) substances, food dyes, and food contact substances—every three years.
A Salmonella outbreak linked to cage-free and organic eggs supplied by California-based August Egg Company has come to a close with 134 infections, 38 hospitalizations, and one death across ten states. All recalled eggs are now expired and should no longer be available in stores, per FDA.
Through its annual mentorship program, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), with support from CDC, has awarded $356,000 to local health departments across the country to expand their wastewater monitoring efforts. Wastewater monitoring can be a useful tool for foodborne illness outbreak surveillance.
In Northwestern China, more than 200 children enrolled at a private kindergarten have been hospitalized for lead poisoning. Investigators suspect school kitchen staff used non-edible lead paint to make certain food items. Officials arrested eight people.
FDA has outlined a list of actions it intends to take to improve the timeliness and transparency of food product recalls. The agency specifically called on the infant formula and baby food industry to cooperate in “creating a collaborative transformation in how we manage and communicate food recalls.”
RSS
