The New York bill is awaiting the Governor’s signature, while the California bill advances from the Assembly to the Senate. The bills would require baby food and infant formula manufacturers to regularly test their products for toxic heavy metals and disclose results.
A law to protect the public health is a good idea, but it should be based on a risk assessment—i.e., whether exposure to the chemical really elicits an adverse reaction. Perhaps it is time to update or rethink California's Prop 65.
Introduced by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, AB 2244 would establish the “California Certified” seal for non-ultra-processed foods (non-UPFs) that can be displayed on the label of qualified food products, similar to the "USDA Organic" seal.
The California Longitudinal Study, a five-year environmental study of California’s Central Coast produce-growing region, identified wildlife, livestock, and surface water as potential contributors to the persistence and movement of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC).
AB 2034 aims to tighten oversight of ingredients used in foods sold in the state that have entered the food supply without a formal FDA safety review through the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) process.
CalRecycle has issued a final draft of the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (SB 54), which establishes an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program to manage packaging and single-use plastic. Western Growers shared concerns about the produce industry’s ability to qualify for categorical exclusion.
In a survey of California fast food employees, 47 percent of respondents reported seeing serious food safety issues at work in the past year, more than half of which went knowingly unresolved by management, and 37 percent who reported food safety issues said they faced retaliation for doing so.
A new Southern California-based study found that food safety may play a role in UTIs. Genomic analysis of Escherichia coli isolates from UTI patients and retail meats linked 18 percent of UTIs to E. coli strains of animal origin, suggesting foodborne transmission.
A massive wave of consumer class actions targeting food manufacturers, distributors, and retailers is sweeping across industries as the plaintiffs' bar aggressively targets product labeling and advertising under California's consumer protection statutes. Companies should be aware of these practices and develop a plan to lessen the risk of receiving such claims.
