There are an additional six cyclosporiasis outbreaks under investigation and thousands more Cyclospora cases reported by CDC and states. Two deaths have been reported. Stakeholders are urging an end to the Food Traceability Rule delay.
Four Salmonella Enteritidis ST11 outbreaks identified in France between May and July 2026 were linked to homemade egg-based foods and traced to a common egg distribution network in Poland. The same Polish food group was implicated in another multinational salmonellosis outbreak in 2016–2020.
The resource provides recommendations and examples for implementing FSMA Preventive Controls for Human Foods Rule requirements to control known or reasonably foreseeable biological hazards in fresh-cut produce.
The microbiological quality of most ready-to-eat (RTE) plant-based meat, dairy, and fish substitutes was satisfactory, but elevated levels of pathogens and indicators in some commodities raised process and hygiene concerns. An analysis of the products’ physico-chemical properties suggested they could support microbial growth.
The appropriations bill for FY 2026 prohibits FDA from using federal funds to implement FSMA 204 before the delayed July 2028 compliance date. Earlier implementation of the Traceability Rule could have enabled faster, more effective response to the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to Taylor Farms lettuce.
The legislation comes ahead of an impending end-of-year deadline set in the FY 2026 appropriations bill that is expected to remove most currently marketed intoxicating, hemp-derived THC beverages from the legal market by the end of 2026 through the closure of a loophole created by the 2018 Farm Bill.
Federally defining UPFs could allow U.S. regulatory agencies to pursue specific policies for the category. The importance of processing versus nutrient content and formulation in causing diet-related chronic diseases, as well as the value of defining UPFs, has been heavily debated.
Importantly, the proposal would not establish a premarket review and approval process for GRAS substances. Companies could still independently conclude that a substance is GRAS and market it while FDA evaluates the notice.
