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USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and the University of Maine recently held a workshop convening researchers, state partners, and other experts to identify research needs and solutions for per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) contamination on farms.

Following the history of serious food safety noncompliances at Boar’s Head’s Jarratt, Virginia plant, which led to a fatal listeriosis outbreak, USDA’s Inspector General has launched an internal investigation into the agency’s handling of the repeated sanitary violations found at the facility.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) has extended its comment period for its proposed regulatory framework for Salmonella in raw poultry products for a second time, now giving stakeholders until January 2025 to submit feedback.

The regulation of food science innovations is complicated by the vast number of agencies and departments overseeing food in the U.S. This article argues for a “clean-up” of the current regulatory scheme, as disparate funding and priorities create inconsistency, food safety risks, and poor enforcement outcomes.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have released an online tool to help biotechnology companies better understand the regulatory requirements for genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Members of Congress have written a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) asking the agency to answer questions about its inspection actions leading up to the fatal Boar’s Head listeriosis outbreak, and about its authorities and processes for preventing such events.

In this bonus episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Dr. José Emilio Esteban and Sandra Eskin, USDA-FSIS’s Under Secretary for Food Safety and Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, respectively, about the agency’s proposed Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry Products.

In response to a FOIA petition submitted to USDA by the Associated Press, the agency chose to withhold the requested Boar’s Head inspection and enforcement reports on the grounds that they were being compiled for law enforcement purposes related to the recent listeriosis outbreak.

Senator Cory Booker’s Safe School Meals Act proposes widespread reforms that would reduce the presence of toxic heavy metals, pesticides, artificial food dyes, and chemicals in school lunches, and would mandate research to progress remediation methods for environmental contaminants polluting farms.

Consumer Reports and More Union have petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to remove Lunchables food kits from the National School Food Lunch Program due to what the groups perceive as relatively high levels of lead and cadmium, as well as the presence of phthalates.