In a letter, Senator Amy Klobuchar urged CDC and FDA to fully restore food safety programs that have been affected under the Trump Administration and continue supporting state public health agencies with the resources needed to detect, investigate, and respond to foodborne illness outbreaks.
Because dietary supplements are regulated by FDA as a subcategory of food, manufacturers are generally not required to demonstrate their safety or efficacy for pre-market approval. The American College of Physicians argues this allows adulterated and mislabeled products to enter the market.
More than 400 cases in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia appear to be epidemiologically linked, although a food source has not been confirmed. Michigan alone reports more than 3,300 Cyclospora infections.
The co-occurrence of biofilm formation, acid tolerance, and antimicrobial resistance genes in E. coli isolatedfrom irrigation water, soil, and crops could complicate downstream microbial control efforts in produce production systems.
The Memorandum of Understanding expands interagency collaboration on food contaminant monitoring, including for toxic heavy metals and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), under the National Residue Program.
The letter to industry was issued in response to the botulism outbreaks linked to Nara Organics and ByHeart formulas, which identified Clostridia in the whole milk powder ingredient supply chain, as well as the global formula recall due to cereulide-contaminated arachidonic acid oil.
Effective July 20, to support risk surveillance, the agency will perform metals analysis on samples that are already collected for allergen verification.
Per CDC, 843 domestically acquired cyclosporiasis cases have been confirmed in 31 states, plus another 1,500 pending analysis. Michigan alone has reported more than 2,600 cases and is looking at lettuce as a potential vehicle of illness.
The investigation analyzed 142 samples representing 52 rice products. Notably, 17 products contained average inorganic arsenic concentrations of at least 100 parts per billion. Rice type significantly influenced average concentrations.
Overall, 72 percent of targeted surveillance samples were deemed satisfactory. FSA flagged imported, niche products, like Dubai-style chocolates, South Asian snacks, and ashwagandha supplements, as especially problematic.
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