The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (USDA’s NOP) has updated the Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) final rule, which relates to the oversight and enforcement of the production, handling, and sale of organic products.

The Health Service Executive of Ireland’s National Social Inclusion Office has issued a warning about synthetic cannabinoids appearing in gummies and candies guised as Tetrahydrocannbinol (THC) edibles.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted an assignment to collect and test imported honey in 2021 and 2022 for economically motivated adulteration (also known as food fraud), finding 10 percent of samples to be adulterated.

As our agri-food systems transform in response to the changing global context, food safety must keep pace to safeguard consumer health and ensure international trade. By providing avenues to explore how the future may unfold, foresight enables strategic preparedness in food safety to address vulnerabilities and ensure resilience.

Following food fraud investigations, the European Commission (EC) recently set new limits on certain antioxidants in tuna; specifically, ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, and calcium ascorbate.

The EU experienced more food safety notifications through its online Rapid Alert System for Food and Food Network in 2021 than in years prior, with pesticides, food contact materials, and fraud highlighted in a Administrative Assistance and Cooperative Network report.

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) have published a review of the UK and Scotland’s food standards, which examines key changes in food standards from 2019 to 2021 based on import, compliance, and sampling data.

Food safety has always been an important issue, but like workplace health and safety, its profile is growing and must be viewed as a business essential.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission is developing a new guidance on food fraud, with input from the Global Food Safety Initiative. The guidance is expected to be published in 2024 or 2025.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently published a comprehensive paper that discusses the available international and national regulatory strategies for combatting food fraud.