In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we review the top food safety stories of 2023 and their implications, covering regulatory changes in the U.S. and abroad; growing concerns about chemical additives and contaminants, allergens, traceability requirements, infant formula, and retail foodservice safety; and the Poisoned documentary that premiered on Netflix in summer 2023.
Effective December 31, 2023, Michelle Catlin, Ph.D. will serve as Chief Scientist of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS).
A proposed strategy from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) aims to improve the agency’s screening process for the harmful effects that pesticides and agricultural chemicals may have on the human endocrine system, starting with immediately requiring additional data to be submitted by the manufacturers of certain high-priority chemicals.
Chile has become the first country in Latin America to implement a food control system assessment facilitated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the goal of which is to improve strategic planning and strengthen governance around food safety.
After reassessing the food safety of the popular zero-calorie sweetener erythritol, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has lowered the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for the additive and reported that, for all groups the EU included in the assessment, acute and chronic exposure to erythritol is above the newly set ADI.
With regard to the recently recalled, lead-contaminated applesauce packages that have caused lead poisoning among dozens of children, Jim Jones, Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recently shared that the agency’s leading theory is economically motivated adulteration of cinnamon used in the products.
Concerns around food safety and scalability have surfaced since the successful launch of cultivated meat products in the U.S. This article summarizes recent regulatory developments that provide insight on how the current U.S. regulatory framework addresses food safety within the cultivated meat space.
The European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries recently held a public hearing to discuss the issue of labeling plant-based imitation fishery products, with some stakeholders likening current labeling practices to food fraud, and others arguing that labeling plant-based foods with words that evoke animal products is helpful to consumers.
The UK Food Standards Authority Board recently decided it would begin discussions with UK Ministers about making written allergen information for non-prepackaged food a requirement, and will begin drafting guidance for industry in the meantime.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided an update on its completed and ongoing actions to strengthen the safety and resiliency of the nation’s supply of infant formula, including specific actions the agency has taken to meet the recommendations made in FDA’s evaluation of the infant formula crisis response.
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