Contamination Control

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The European Commission has published a revised guidance document on monitoring and shelf-life studies for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods in compliance with recent amendments to Regulation (EU) 2073/2005 on the microbiological criteria for foods.

A Harvard Law report analyzes how federal preemption may impact the emerging patchwork of U.S. state bills on food chemical safety, categorizing the types of common legislation seen in 2025 and discussing possible legal and constitutional challenges.

A court has ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed against House Bill 2354, which was passed in March 2025 and would prohibit foods containing several food additives and dyes from sale in the state. The injunction does not apply to the bill’s provision banning seven food dyes from school meals.

A first-of-its-kind French study has demonstrated that food additives are consumed as mixtures by children and adults, underscoring the importance of considering combined exposures in food safety evaluations.

Some EU and UK food law changes in development could arrive sooner than expected, and others will take more time to go into effect. This article discusses food law changes to watch for in 2026.

This episode of Food Safety Five discusses a food safety issue that was covered in some of our most-read scientific articles of 2025: microplastics release from food contact materials and contamination of food.

Allergen Alert is a portable device that automates the full laboratory analytical process in a “mini lab” so that consumers and foodservice professionals alike can detect the presence of allergens or gluten in a meal, onsite and in minutes, ensuring food safety for those with food allergies and celiac disease.

FAO and WHO recently published a report identifying and prioritizing chemical contaminants that pose a food safety risk due to their presence in sources of water used in agri-food systems.

As in years past, USDA’s Pesticide Data Program reports that more than 99 percent of foods sampled in 2024 were compliant with EPA pesticide residue limits. Some persistent organic pollutants, like DDT, continue to show up in crops.

At the 55^th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH), prompted by the ongoing infant botulism outbreak linked to ByHeart formula in the U.S., CCFH decided to initiate work related to the control of Clostridium botulinum in powdered infant formula.