News

FAO/WHO Call for Data on Aflatoxins in Cereals Inform Codex Maximum Levels

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 08:42:09 -0500

The request will support the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods in determining whether existing maximum levels (MLs) for total aflatoxins in certain commodities require revision, as well as assessing the need for and feasibility of establishing MLs for additional cereals and grains.

FAO Explores How Cultural Worldviews Shape Food Safety Risk Perception, Policies

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 05:15:00 -0500

A new report, Worldviews and Food Safety, examined how different cultures’ underlying assumptions about the relationships between humans, food, and the environment shape understandings of what constitutes "safe" food, which risks are prioritized, and how food safety decisions are made.

EU Clarifies Veterinary Drug Residue Enforcement for Meat Products

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 05:00:45 -0500

A new regulation regulation defines the actions competent authorities must take when noncompliance is identified, including requirements for product disposal, investigations, and risk-based enforcement measures.

ByHeart Formula Discontinued After Infant Botulism Outbreak, But Founders Set to Acquire Different Formula Business

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 05:30:00 -0500

ByHeart stopped making infant formula following the outbreak linked to its products, but its co-founders started a new company, MeridianMade, which has entered into an agreement to acquire Perrigo’s infant formula business—raising questions about safety and market consolidation.

WHO Proposes Food Profiling Model to Inform Regulation of Ultra-Processed Foods

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 05:15:00 -0500

The draft model is intended to help governments identify industrially produced, prepackaged foods for which consumption should be limited or moderated, potentially informing regulatory measures such as marketing restrictions, front-of-package labeling, and taxation. A public consultation is now open.

EU Eases Import Controls for Certain Snacks, Shellfish

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 05:00:00 -0500

The European Commission has adopted two regulations that 1) exempt additional shelf-stable composite foods from import border controls and 2) exempt qualifying shellfish products from import control requirements for drug and pesticide residues.

Novel Bacteriophage Shows Potential to Control Drug-Resistant Bacillus cereus in Milk, Rice, Pork

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 05:30:00 -0500

The phage showed promise as a biocontrol agent against B. cereus contamination in food due to its sustained antibacterial activity, environmental stability, and efficacy against biofilms and germinated spores. It was able to reduce B. cereus to below detectable levels without regrowth.

U.S. Bill Introduced to Ban Synthetic Color Additives in Food, Drugs, Cosmetics

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 05:15:00 -0500

Proposed by Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC), the prohibition would apply to color additives subject to FDA certification and certified color additive lakes. Color additives exempt from FDA certification, including many naturally derived colors, would not be affected.

EU Tightens Recycled Food Packaging Requirements, Authorizes Four New Food-Contact Substances

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 05:00:00 -0500

The EU has updated requirements for recycled food packaging, including expanded traceability and import controls, and authorized four new substances for use in plastic food-contact materials.

CAP Makes Policy Recommendations for Stronger Federal Food Safety Oversight, Calls Out MAHA ‘Failures’

Tue, 03 Nov 2026 05:30:00 -0500

A Center for American Progress (CAP) report called for more aggressively closing the GRAS "loophole," increasing food inspection and enforcement resources, codifying limits for PFAS in drinking water, and other actions, while admonishing Trump Administration actions that “undermine public health.”

EU Recommends Monitoring Chlorinated Paraffins in Food Through 2029

Tue, 03 Nov 2026 05:15:00 -0500

The monitoring initiative set forth in Recommendation (EU) 2026/2335 is intended to improve data availability on the occurrence and distribution of the industrial chemicals in food, supporting more robust assessments of human dietary exposure.

Swedish Food Agency Says NOVA Ultra-Processed Foods Definition ‘Doesn’t Give the Whole Picture’

Tue, 03 Nov 2026 05:00:00 -0500

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Gothenburg in collaboration with the Swedish Food Agency raised questions about the reliability of the “ultra-processed foods” definition for dietary research and nutrition policymaking.

Another Wave of Refrigerator Cyberattacks Sweeps European Grocery Stores, Causing More Food Losses

hendersonb@bnpmedia.com (Bailee Henderson) — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 12:37:41 -0500

Less than a month after a targeted refrigerator cyberattack hit hundreds of grocery stores in France, causing temperatures to be cranked up overnight, another similar incident has impacted additional food retailers across Europe.

UNC, Harvard Launch Initiative to Inform Ultra-Processed Food Policymaking

Mon, 02 Nov 2026 10:53:57 -0500

Developed in collaboration with Fed UP!, the Food Policy Accelerator will offer scientific research, food supply data, and legal expertise to support the development of ultra-processed food (UPF) regulations at a time when the U.S. is considering a federal UPF definition.

Seasonal Salmonella Meat Contamination Patterns Disappearing in U.S., Except for Ground Beef

Mon, 02 Nov 2026 05:00:00 -0500

Based on 25 years of sampling data, USDA-FSIS researchers found that seasonal patterns of Salmonella contamination in raw meat and poultry products have changed significantly, with ground beef being the only commodity to maintain a strong peak in warmer months.

Refrigerator Malfunctions on U.S. Military Bases May Be Result of Targeted Cyberattacks, Similar to French Incident

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:56:02 -0400

The U.S. Pentagon is investigating whether a series of refrigerator malfunctions at military base commissaries could have been the result of targeted cyberattacks, similar to what occurred at hundreds of French grocery stores earlier in October.

Unique Yersinia enterocolitica Type May Cause Illness Through Inflammatory Response

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0400

Yersiniosis is the second most frequently notified foodborne illness in New Zealand. While Y. enterocolitica BT 1A accounts for approximately 20–30 percent of annual notifications, it lacks several recognized virulence genes, which has historically raised questions about its ability to cause illness.

EFSA Reviews Codex Pesticide Residue Limits, Identifies Consumer Health Concerns

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 10:57:42 -0400

The scientific report will inform the EU’s position at the 57th session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues.

EPA Launches PFAS TECH Strategy to Develop Remediation Technologies, Following Deregulatory Actions

hendersonb@bnpmedia.com (Bailee Henderson) — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 09:05:37 -0400

Although EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the new strategy exemplifies how “the Trump EPA is laser-focused on Making America Healthy Again [MAHA],” the announcement comes as the agency continues to receive criticisms for the Administration’s history of decisions to back off PFAS regulation.

EPA May Significantly Underestimate PFAS in U.S. Drinking Water, Study Suggests

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0400

Researchers found that EPA’s interpretation of drinking water contaminant monitoring data, in which PFAS measurements that fall below laboratory reporting limits are treated as “zero,” could underestimate “forever chemical” occurrence by as much as 56 percent.

Attorney General’s Office: FDA Can Amend Regulations to Disclose Company Information During Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

hendersonb@bnpmedia.com (Bailee Henderson) — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 11:29:07 -0400

“Under current regulations, FDA is generally not authorized to disclose supply chain information,” stated an opinion from the U.S. Attorney General’s Office of Legal Counsel. However, “FDA has statutory authority to amend its regulations to allow broader disclosure of supply chain information.”

U.S. is Making Little Progress Toward 2030 Foodborne Illness Reduction Goals, Data Shows

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0400

FDA, CDC, and USDA-FSIS researchers analyzed foodborne illness surveillance data against targets set under the Healthy People initiative, finding worsening incidence of campylobacteriosis, listeriosis, and STEC infections, with no detectable change in salmonellosis incidence, while acknowledging the potential role of advanced surveillance methods.

New International Food Pyramid Contradicts Meat, Fat Messages in U.S. Dietary Guidelines

hendersonb@bnpmedia.com (Bailee Henderson) — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 14:47:33 -0400

A diverse group of nutrition scientists has developed an International Food Guide Pyramid based on global dietary guidance, reflecting broad scientific consensus that prefers plant-based or lean protein and fat sources to meat, butter, tallow, and full-fat dairy—contradicting U.S. Health Secretary Kennedy and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030.

USDA Researchers Use Crickets to Convert Mycotoxin-Contaminated Corn Into High-Protein Animal Feed

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 09:26:49 -0400

Crickets were raised on contaminated corn, which would otherwise be diverted from the feed supply chain, and processed into insect meal. The resulting meal contained more protein than corn and had 96 percent lower mycotoxin levels.

USDA Study Explores Enzyme-Bacteriocin Treatments to Control Listeria Biofilms in Food Processing Environments

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0400

Treatment effectiveness varied by L. monocytogenes strain and bacteriocin used. While the findings supported continued development of enzyme-bacteriocin combinations as potential bio-based tools for L. monocytogenes biofilm control, researchers highlighted the need to ensure that biofilm disruption is accompanied by effective bacterial inactivation.

UK Gov Chemist Reports Advances in Food Fraud Detection, Chemical Safety Findings

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 10:12:33 -0400

The UK Government Chemist has published its Government Chemist Review 2025, outlining its activities, including food chemical safety regulatory compliance testing and research and development related to analytical methods for authenticity and adulteration.

EU Changes Six Maximum Limits for Pesticides in Food Commodities

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:43:20 -0400

Commission Regulation (EU) 2026/2289 has revised maximum residue limits (MRLs) for acequinocyl, deltamethrin, dodine, maleic hydrazide, pinoxaden, and prothioconazole.

Study Finds Differences Between Beef, Pork Microbial Contamination During Processing

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 05:00:17 -0400

The findings highlighted the importance of considering meat species, equipment type, and temporal changes in microbial communities when developing cleaning and sanitation strategies for meat processing facilities.

FAO Identifies Five Priorities for Strengthening Mycotoxin Control in Near East, North Africa

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 09:22:09 -0400

In a new report, FAO assessed mycotoxin contamination in food and feed across the region and highlighted disparities in national regulatory frameworks, laboratory capacities, and surveillance systems, as well as the increasing impact of climate change on contamination risks.

Researchers Describe Significant Food Safety Risks, Regulatory Gaps in Afghanistan

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0400

According to the review, microbiological and chemical food safety hazards in the country are exacerbated by inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure, limited regulatory oversight, and food insecurity.