As part of its “Deregulatory Plan,” FDA is revoking, or will revoke, 52 “obsolete and unnecessary” food Standards of Identity (SOIs) for canned fruits and vegetables, dairy products, baked goods, macaroni products, and other foods. FDA published a direct final rule and two proposed final rules on the subject.
At the July 15 grand opening event for the new USDA-FSIS Midwestern Food Safety Laboratory in Missouri, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins teased the agency’s new food safety policy plan aimed at reducing foodborne illness.
FDA has shared concern about the growing number of edible products containing kratom available for sale online and at retailers like gas stations and smoke shops across the U.S. It has issued warning letters to seven companies for illegally marketing gummies, drinks, and tablets containing the kratom-derived concentrate 7-OH, a “novel, potent opioid.”
The Senate Committee on Appropriations has approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which would restore some FDA funding and address some effects of the Trump Administration on the agency.
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) laboratories now use an improved enrichment method for Campylobacter in poultry meat samples, which reduced enrichment incubation time by half, and shaved a day off of reporting times for results.
Following FDA’s announcement of its intent to end the use of artificial food colorants—largely by relying on voluntary action by industry—the agency has authorized a fourth petition for a naturally sourced food dye, Gardenia Blue. FDA is also reminding industry that even “natural” colorants must be approved by the agency.
Switzerland has banned bisphenol A (BPA) and other hazardous bisphenols in food contact materials, but the regulation’s definition of hazardous BPAs is based on the chemicals’ molecular structure—notably leaving out some common, possibly harmful bisphenols like bisphenol M and bisphenol P.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reevaluated the safety of artificial sweetener acesulfame potassium (also known as acesulfame K, or additive E 950) for the first time since 2000, raising the acceptable daily intake. However, EFSA recommended lowering the maximum limits for lead and mercury in E 950.
U.S. Representatives have reintroduced the Food Chemical Reassessment Act of 2025 to Congress, which would require FDA to reevaluate the safety of chemicals—including “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) substances, food dyes, and food contact substances—every three years.
FDA has outlined a list of actions it intends to take to improve the timeliness and transparency of food product recalls. The agency specifically called on the infant formula and baby food industry to cooperate in “creating a collaborative transformation in how we manage and communicate food recalls.”
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