In light of recently confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in U.S. dairy cows and now in one person, James (Jim) Jones, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods revealed that HPAI has become the “highest priority” within the agency’s Human Foods Program, and that the agency has set up a set up a dedicated Incident Management Team (IMT) to respond to the developing threat.
In an April 5 webinar, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods James (Jim) Jones spoke in great detail about the agency’s fiscal year (FY) 2025 Presidential budget request, and how portions of those funds will be allocated to meeting Human Foods Program goals.
The 54th session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) convened in Nairobi, Kenya on March 11–15, 2024 to discuss unresolved specifics of guidelines adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission during its 46th session in November 2023, as well as new work proposals.
West Virginia passed a bill known as the Truth in Food Labeling Act, restricting the language that can be used on labels for cell-based meats, plant-based meat alternatives, and other “analogue products,” such as insect-based foods. The bill awaits the Governor’s signature.
NASEM has completed a study to better understand the nutritional benefits of seafood consumption versus the health hazards posed by contaminants like toxic heavy metals. The study fulfills a request from FDA, partly in a Closer to Zero effort to answer questions about mercury exposure. A webinar about the findings will be held on March 26, 2024.
Following the wave of state-level legislation on food additives cropping up across the U.S., two bills have been introduced in Pennsylvania to prohibit nine chemicals from being used as food additives in the state. Additionally, Kentucky wrote a resolution urging FDA to mandate a prohibition on U.S. food manufacturers producing or selling food containing harmful ingredients that have been banned by several other countries.
The FAO/WHO Joint Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) convened to review the most recent scientific literature regarding the control of Campylobacter on chicken meat. The experts emphasized the importance of a multi-hurdle approach in production and processing.
Missouri and Washington are the latest states to introduce bills to ban the same four food additives as the California Food Safety Act: brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and red dye 3.
A recently introduced bill in New York State legislature seeks to seeks to establish requirements for the reporting of substances considered “generally ruled as safe” (GRAS).
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) is launching an educational campaign to address widespread misconceptions about “vegan” versus “free-from” labels and raise awareness about precautionary allergen labeling.
