Combining multiplex PCR and DNA barcoding, Chapman University researchers successfully detected fraudulent adulteration in half of ginseng supplement samples tested. With 28 percent of samples still unable to be identified, the researchers call for future studies combining DNA- and chemical-based testing methods. 

UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) surveillance of food purchased at retail in 2023–2024 found 87 percent of samples to be compliant with food safety and authenticity standards. Undeclared allergens, adulteration, mislabeling, and other noncompliances were reported.

Published in CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases, one of the largest-ever whole genome sequencing (WGS) analyses of Campylobacter in Africa found antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in 75 percent of human and poultry isolates from Tanzania and Kenya.

U.S. Senators Edward Markey and Cory Booker recently wrote a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging the agency to revoke its authorization for phthalates in food contact materials, arguing that the chemicals are proven to be toxic. 

Babylife Organics has become the second U.S. baby food producer to announce a product testing initiative guided by EU standards; specifically, for toxic heavy metals, tested at four points along production, and measured in parts-per-billion.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has launched its new Thermo Scientific™ iCAP™ MX Series ICP-MS designed for environmental, food, industrial, and research labs to simplify trace element analysis with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched a research project to develop methods for the detection of microplastic contamination, which will be used to assess the prevalence of and exposure levels to micro- and nanoplastics in Indian food.

In a September 25 public meeting and supplementary document, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) outlined its developing enhanced, systematic process for the post-market assessment of chemicals in food. The proposed process is open for public comment until December 6.

In the wake of the California School Food Safety Act, on October 11, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) will hold a free, publicly available webinar discussing how consumer concerns about artificial food coloring are influencing policies and shaping the regulatory future of food additives.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated the Mycotoxins in Domestic and Imported Human Foods Compliance Program to include T-2/HT-2 toxins and zearalenone, and to reflect the use of a new multi-mycotoxin method for analysis in human foods.