FDA published its annual Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program Report for Fiscal Year 2024, finding that pesticide chemical residues measured in the U.S. food supply were generally in compliance with EPA tolerances.
EPA is reassessing glyphosate’s human health risks and carcinogenic potential after a federal court vacated its previous determination. An expert source raised concerns stemming from the fact that EPA has already disqualified 78 percent of independent studies identified in its review.
The ruling in the case Monsanto v. Durnell shields pesticide manufacturers like Bayer–Monsanto, the maker of glyphosate-based Roundup, in failure-to-warn lawsuits. A legal expert explained to Food Safety Magazine how this decision potentially weakens state right-to-know chemical health warning laws like California's Proposition 65.
The Paraquat Prevention Act would cancel all EPA-registered uses of the herbicide and permanently prohibit its reregistration. More than 70 countries, including the EU and China, have banned the domestic use of paraquat, although China still manufactures and exports the chemical to the U.S.
The WHO Advisory Group on Pesticide Specifications supports the evaluation of scientific dossiers to inform the development of WHO specifications for public health pesticides.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has published the most recent findings from its Children’s Food Project and National Chemical Residue Monitoring Program, which test foods for toxic heavy metals, veterinary drugs, pesticides, and other substances.
The updated compliance program for pesticide residues includes a new focus on risk-based sampling of foods commonly consumed by young children and reflects procedural changes to the laboratory testing and analysis methods.
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).
Based on the results of testing more than 125,000 food samples collected across Europe, compliance with EU pesticide maximum residue levels remains high, reported the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
