Contamination Control

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In evaluating the thousands of existing PFAS compounds and at what level they present a risk to the health of humans and animals, FDA, USDA, CPSC, and EPA are focusing on three issues: bioaccumulation, persistence, and toxicity.

AOAC INTERNATIONAL's metals scientific community has formed a working group to review regulations and requirements for metals content in food, and to update the AOAC Standard Method Performance Requirements for metals analysis. The working group is also reviewing existing methods based on Codex Alimentarius requirements for metals analysis.
 

New studies published by Zero Waste Europe and the ToxicoWatch Foundation point to high levels of persistent organic pollutants like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and dioxins in food and water sampled from the areas surrounding waste incinerator facilities in Europe.

As the EU is considering a ban on bisphenol A (BPA) and its analogues in food packaging based on the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) recent lowering of its tolerable daily intake (TDI) for the chemical, an international group of academic experts has penned their support for EFSA’s nontraditional risk assessment behind the new BPA TDI, and call on other regulatory agencies around the globe to modernize their risk assessment approaches of endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

Parasites are reported in all manner of foodstuffs across the entire food supply, and they are challenging to detect and control. For risk assessment purposes, food safety personnel must be cognizant of the occurrence and significance of these foodborne organisms.
 

The European Commission recently made changes to the maximum levels of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) in food with Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/1022, amending Regulation (EU) 2023/915.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued the first-ever national, legally enforceable drinking water standard to protect Americans from exposure to harmful per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and has announced $1 billion in funds available for PFAS testing and clean-up in state, territory, and private drinking water supplies.

This article discusses the recent wave of state bills on food additives that have emerged following the California Food Safety Act, FDA’s activities in an effort to get ahead of an inconsistent patchwork of legislation, and criticisms about these bills voiced by legislators, regulators, and industry stakeholders.

Results of sampling and testing of imported honey for signs of economically motivated adulteration conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2022–2023 has revealed only 3 percent of samples to be violative.

In light of recently confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in U.S. dairy cows and now in one person, James (Jim) Jones, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods revealed that HPAI has become the “highest priority” within the agency’s Human Foods Program, and that the agency has set up a set up a dedicated Incident Management Team (IMT) to respond to the developing threat.