International Standards/Harmonization

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The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) recently reaffirmed a “not specified” acceptable daily intake (ADI) for titanium dioxide, as well as concluded that there is no safety concern for and established the specifications for 21 flavoring agents. 

The European Food Standards Agency (EFSA) has published its annual report for the Scientific Network on Microbiological Risk Assessment, summarizing the network’s activities throughout 2023. The network facilitates scientific cooperation between 25 EU Member States, Switzerland, and Norway.

On the tenth anniversary of mandatory food hygiene rating display in Wales, the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) reports a 44 percent increase in the number of Welsh food businesses that have a top hygiene rating of five.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission met from November 27–December 2, 2023 to adopt new food safety and quality standards. As number of standards were adopted during the meeting.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recently published a guidance that clarifies the definition of and regulatory requirements for simulated meat and poultry products.

On November 16, the Italian Chamber of Deputies voted to pass a law that would ban the sale of cultivated meat in the country.

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) recently published a webpage to guide businesses on the authorization process for cell-cultivated food products in England and Wales.

The European Commission is poised to make the controversial decision to renew ten-year approval of the use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto-Bayer’s Roundup product line, which has come under fire in recent years for its association with cancer.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recently assessed the food safety of eight smoke flavorings on the EU market, the authorization for which were due for renewal, and were unable to rule out concerns of genotoxicity.

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (EC’s DG SANTE) recently published a report on the effectiveness of EU Member States’ strategic approaches for fighting food fraud, which informed a guidance document that supports Member State efforts in this area.