Food Safety Magazine Editorial Team

As part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) continued efforts to more systematically and transparently review and regulate food additives, the agency has reassessed and revoked the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) determination for tara flour. The ingredient is not authorized for use in food.

To investigate the potential impact of more widespread adoption of food irradiation, CDC analyzed a decade (2009–2020) of U.S. foodborne illness outbreak data for four significant foodborne pathogens, and found 155 outbreaks linked to irradiation-eligible foods that had not been irradiated.

The European Commission has updated its internal guidance document on the implementation of its regulations on the hygiene of food of animal origin, to clarify how cultivated meat, insects, and other foods for which no detailed requirements are established should be regulated in accordance with the provision’s requirements.

The International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) has selected Walmart Inc. as the 2024 recipient of the Black Pearl Award. The honor is given annually to one company for its efforts in advancing food safety and quality.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed to cancel all agricultural uses of the pesticide acephate due to dietary risks from drinking water for currently registered uses of the chemical.

In the first of this two-part episode of Food Safety Matters, we interviewed professionals from the industry, regulatory, and nonprofit sectors, live from the show floor of the Food Safety Summit, which took place on May 6–9 in Rosemont, Illinois. We discussed food safety culture, food safety regulation for cannabis-infused edibles, traceability, legacy facilities and equipment, and more.

To protect the health of young children, the Baby Food Safety Act of 2024 has been introduced in U.S. Congress to give FDA the authority to enforce scientifically established limits on heavy metals in commercially produced infant and toddler food.

The results of the eighth annual Global Food Safety Training Survey, which assesses the quality and implementation of food safety training at food businesses worldwide, were recently published, revealing a critical need for improvement.

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) recently announced educational workshops taking place in July ahead of the 2024 IFT FIRST: Expo and Event, covering artificial intelligence (AI) for food innovation, shelf life best practices, Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) determinations and product development, and other topics.

A recent study found high levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among Escherichia coli on raw chicken meat sold at retail in the UK, as well as in chicken-based raw dog food samples—with almost half of samples resistant to critically important antibiotics.