The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) will hold a virtual workshop series in March to help food producers gain a clear understanding of FDA’s “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) determination process.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has put out an open call for data on the use and presence of food additives and flavorings to inform a pilot monitoring program. The data may help inform dietary exposure estimates for authorization and risk assessment purposes.
FDA Human Foods Program staffers recently told Consumer Reports how a current spending freeze at the agency is affecting their ability to do their jobs, and leaves them feeling “dangerously unprepared” for the next foodborne illness outbreak or food safety emergency.
Two key advisory committees, responsible for providing impartial scientific advice to federal public health agencies (USDA, FDA, CDC) relative to food safety, have been terminated: the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) and National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI).
Between January 2023 and January 2025, a total of 509 illnesses were caused by the consumption of alfalfa sprouts across ten countries in Europe. The outbreak encompasses eight Salmonella serotypes, and the sprouts were traced back to seeds grown in a single geographical region in Italy.
Following mass layoffs that swept regulatory agencies, including those responsible for food safety and foodborne illness response, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has walked back its orders to dismiss probationary employees. The change was prompted by a court decision that deemed OPM’s orders to dismiss staffers as unlawful.
Arizona House Bill 2164, aiming to ban 11 chemicals and colorants, has passed the state House and has moved onto the Senate. Similar bills are currently progressing in West Virginia and Texas.
The Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) is launching a webinar series, titled, Striving and Surviving, aimed at helping U.S. regulatory professionals deal with budget cuts and general uncertainty.
Introduced by Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), the Senate Bill 667, named the Safer Shrimp Imports Act, would require FDA to ensure that food safety inspections for shrimp in importing countries meet standards equivalent to those upheld in the U.S.
If FDA's regulatory decision-making should be based on science, but the Delaney Clause prohibits FDA from considering the totality of the available scientific evidence in making safety determinations for food and color additives, can the Delaney Clause and science-based decision making coexist?
RSS
