This episode of Food Safety Five discusses new research on the use of cold plasma technologies for biofilm inactivation and reducing allergenic risk, deriving more accurate “sell by” dates based on microbial changes on meat, and ultra-processed food nutrition and purchasing realities.
The agency has also reopened a previously closed Salmonella outbreak investigation linked to powdered moringa supplements, with 22 new reported illnesses in four additional states.
On May 26, Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed into law two bills related to food chemical safety; specifically, the nation’s first state-level ban on paraquat (H.739) and legislation setting heavy metals testing and disclosure requirements for baby food manufacturers (H.536).
Highlighting contaminated seafood as a particular concern, the Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act answers FDA’s request for the authority to destroy food imports that do not pass safety inspections at the border, preventing importers from “port shopping” their unsafe products.
A series of first-of-their-kind, large-scale epidemiological studies have suggested associations between food dyes—both “natural” and artificial—and preservatives, and an increased risk of chronic health conditions like cancer, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.
With two proposed rules issued on May 18, the Trump EPA followed through on its stated intent to rescind or extend the compliance date for Biden-era drinking water limits for several “forever chemicals” of concern.
During the 49th Meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Labeling (CCFL49), guidelines on risk-based precautionary allergen labeling, labeling for multipack foods, and emergency flexible labeling were recommended for adoption. CCFL also declined a proposal to initiate work related to ultra-processed foods.
Dr. Prater is taking over the position as the previous Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, Kyle Diamantas, is elevated to the FDA Commissioner role, replacing Dr. Marty Makary.
Breading mixtures may be reused for different foods in foodservice operations. An FDA-supported study found that both shrimp and cod allergens accumulate in reused breading and transfer to subsequent foods, although the cod cross-contact risk was much greater.
On Thursday morning, officials from FDA, USDA-FSIS, CDC, and AFDO took the stage at the 2026 Food Safety Summit Town Hall to talk about the current developments and priorities at their respective agencies.
