Food Safety

FDA food traceability measures need specific data standards - FMI

25-Jul-2023 By Lauren Nardella

The Food and Drug Administration offers more information to help the food and beverage industry implement its Food Traceability Rule through the recent release of FAQs, while industry suggests certain data standards could help it meet challenges in compliance.

[Video] Using data, IoT to unlock retail efficiencies, Wiliot exec shares perspective

19-Jul-2023 By Ryan Daily

Internet of things (IoT) and data technologies are providing retailers with insight to create a more efficient business, from improving product availabiity on shelf to reducing spoilage, Thaddeus Segura, VP of data products and algorithm, told FoodNavigator-USA....

US bakers bank on ‘strength in numbers’ to tackle priorities with Capitol Hill

13-Jul-2023 By Gill Hyslop

The American Bakers Association (ABA) is partnering with the American Society of Baking (ASB) and Retail Bakers of America (RBA) to give bakers an even stronger voice with US Congress.

Proposed ‘Office of Food Safety Reassessment’ would target chemicals that entered food supply through GRAS process

08-Jun-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Legislation reintroduced yesterday could add another layer of oversight – and office – for food safety at FDA as the agency reimagines and tries to repair what many consider a broken review system for the nation’s food supply.

California Health Committee approves ban on five food additives in landmark bill co-sponsored by EWG and Consumer Reports

18-Apr-2023 By Deniz Ataman

In a controversial move that could have a ripple effect for food and beverage manufacturers nationwide, California Assembly’s Committee on Health approved AB 418 -- bringing the state one step closer to potentially banning brominated vegetable oil, potassium...

FDA amends yogurt standard of identity to allow popular ‘fruit-on-the-bottom’ styles

17-Apr-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Popular fruit-on-the-bottom and cup-set yogurt styles can remain on the market in the US after FDA late last week amended the yogurt standard to eliminate a controversial titratable acidity requirement at the behest of the International Dairy Foods Association.

From tumour risk to microbiome harm: FAO and WHO debunk four cell-based meat misconceptions

17-Apr-2023 By Si Ying Thian

The FAO and WHO have debunked four key misconceptions and concerns surrounding cell-based meat, spanning tumour risk to a negative impact on the microbiome.

CSPI et al’s letter to the FDA urges the immediate and formal removal of Red Dye No. 3, industry trade groups representing color additives request comment deadline extension

11-Apr-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Citing numerous studies that suggest Red Dye No. 3 could be carcinogenic, The Center for Science in the Public Interest and a coalition of 23 other associations want FDA to remove the color from its list of approved additives in foods, dietary supplements...

FDA’s human food program ‘urgently needs additional personnel, financial and IT resources’

10-Apr-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Restructuring FDA to create a new human foods program that elevates the safety and oversight of the US food supply will not adequately address the concerns outlined in the Reagan-Udall’s audit of the agency without a significant boost in funding and dedicated...

Bipartisan house bills reintroduced to regulate CBD in food, dietary supplements

20-Mar-2023 By Danielle Masterson

Does the legislation have legs or is it just for optics? Stakeholders agree the bills are a step in a positive direction, but what impact they will have, if any, is yet to be seen.

Biden Administration budget request includes boosts to food safety, nutrition programs

16-Mar-2023 By Lauren Nardella

President Biden’s FY 2024 budget request would increase funding for FDA and USDA and make investments in food safety and nutrition programs, but is far from a done deal given a divisive Congress.

Study links sweetener erythritol to increased risk of heart issues; industry group questions methodology

02-Mar-2023 By Lauren Nardella

Artificial sweeteners have gained in popularity as consumers seek out products without sugar, but a new study suggests a potential link between keto-friendly sweetener erythritol and an elevated risk of heart attack or stroke.

FDA’s update for new Human Foods Program falls short of industry expectations

01-Mar-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Even as FDA kicks off a search for a deputy commissioner for its proposed Human Foods Program who it says will have a “clear line of authority over” all human food safety and nutrition programs, industry stakeholders worry agency is choosing a “business...

FDA’s vision for a new food program ‘falls short of what is required,’ stakeholders argue

17-Feb-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Industry leaders and food safety stakeholders are calling out FDA for not going far enough in its plans to unify under a new Human Foods Program nearly all of its major food components that currently are scattered across multiple divisions.

FDA heeds call for unified Human Foods Program under one leader as part of ‘transformative vision’ for food safety, nutrition oversight

31-Jan-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

FDA this morning unveiled a “transformative vision” for a unified Human Foods Program that will bring together under one empowered deputy commissioner nearly all of its major food components that currently are scattered across multiple divisions to better...

In resignation letter, FDA’s top food safety leader calls for ‘fully empowered and experienced’ deputy commissioner for food

26-Jan-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Calls for a single, clearly defined leader over FDA’s food program with direct lines of authority and adequate funding are intensifying from former and existing agency officials, including Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy Frank Yiannas who cited the...

FDA proposes lead limits in baby food – but do they go far enough and are they achievable?

25-Jan-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

FDA’s long-awaited guidance for limiting lead concentrations in packaged food for babies and toddlers published yesterday estimates a reduced exposure risk upwards of 27%, but according to some stakeholders this isn’t high enough.

News In Brief

FDA asks experts to review seafood safety for children through health equity lens

23-Jan-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Recognizing the cultural significance of seafood varies among different groups of Americans, FDA has asked an expert panel to consider health equity and environmental justice issues in their review of children’s exposure to toxins from seafood.

Fertilisers made from human urine and faeces are ‘safe and productive’ to use in food production, say scientists

18-Jan-2023 By Oliver Morrison

A study has claimed to show that modern ‘green’ products recycled from human excreta are excellent – and importantly, safe – fertilizers to use on food crops.

Congress earmarks funds to unify FDA’s food program, enhance safety & inspections

04-Jan-2023 By Elizabeth Crawford

Within the $1.7 trillion spending bill signed by President Joe Biden late last week is a substantial increase in funding to boost food safety activities and “infrastructure investments” at FDA, including directions to “strongly consider” the Reagan-Udall...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: What does FDA’s commitment to ‘building a world-class human foods program’ mean for industry?

19-Dec-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

After a scathing review published earlier this month by the Reagan-Udall Foundation criticized FDA for its scattered and inefficient approach to food safety and applied nutrition, the agency says it is committed to “building a world-class human foods...

SPECIAL REPORT: FDA doubles down on titanium dioxide safety as CSPI raises concerns; Skittles lawsuits dismissed

12-Dec-2022 By Elaine Watson

While the European Commission recently banned the use of titanium dioxide (TiO2) in foods in the EU, and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has just warned consumers to avoid it, the FDA tells us it has reviewed the scientific opinion...

Reagan-Udall report calls for sweeping changes in FDA’s food program, leadership structure

07-Dec-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Industry leaders are lauding proposed changes to FDA’s food program outlined in a highly-anticipated external review by the Reagan-Udall Foundation published yesterday that includes calls for a “single clearly identified” leader with direct lines of authority...

Beyond Meat defends food safety credentials following reports of issues at Pennsylvania plant; food safety expert says devil is in the detail

22-Nov-2022 By Elaine Watson

While claims about Listeria and contaminants in a food production facility should be taken seriously, the allegations made in a Bloomberg article alleging “dirty conditions” at Beyond Meat’s production facility in Pennsylvania lack vital context, says...

Scientists issue ‘wake-up call’ to food industry over organophosphate esters

15-Sep-2022 By Katy Askew

UK research sheds fresh light on the presence of organophosphate esters (OPEs) in food products. “This should be a wake-up call to industrial users of OPEs,” the researchers say.

FDA confronts ‘sub-optimal environment’ for food safety with ‘top to bottom’ review

21-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Facing sharp criticism in the media that FDA’s approach to food safety is “broken,” “Byzantine” and a “ridiculous joke,” the agency is undertaking a “top to bottom” review of the “structure, function, funding and leadership” of its food program, agency...

CBA: FDA needs a deputy commissioner for food to address ‘inefficient decision making’ and unify ‘split and siloed’ approach that is hindering industry

20-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Frustrated with FDA’s “inefficient decision making,” reliance on “inexperienced and undertrained” inspectors and “split and siloed” approach to food safety and oversight, the Consumer Brands Association this morning reiterated its call for the agency...

FDA’s final voluntary recall guidance provides easy to follow road map, experts say

04-Mar-2022 By Hank Schultz

The US Food and Drug Administration has finalized a guidance on issuing recalls that first issued in draft form in 2019. The document’s plain language should help ensure compliance, experts contacted by NutraIngredients-USA agree.

FDA calls for greater food safety guidance for indoor farming companies, how is the industry responding?

19-Jan-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

FDA is tightening food safety requirements and recommendations for CEA (controlled environment agriculture) firms after an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimirium was traced back to packaged salads produced to one indoor farming facility last summer, calling...

FSIS: ‘Perhaps it’s time to rethink our approach’ as efforts to reduce salmonella infections stall for 20 years

08-Oct-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Frustrated that salmonella infections have held stubbornly steady at more than 1 million cases annually for the past two decades, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is rethinking how and where it tests for contamination, potentially expanding its...

PFAS chemicals detected in small number of common food items, but ‘results do not suggest that there is any need to avoid particular foods,’ says FDA

27-Aug-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

An FDA survey investigating the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – a class of human-made chemicals – in nationally distributed processed foods found that of the 167 food samples tested, three had detectable levels of the chemicals....

FDA considers ‘last mile’ food safety concerns as consumers adopt e-commerce, delivery

08-Jun-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

The FDA is looking at how shifting shopping habits during the pandemic, including the rapid adoption of e-commerce to buy groceries and prepared food, may have “reinforced and accelerated” the need for new measures to ensure products are safe through...

Mars discusses the future of food safety: ‘We have a responsibility to help solve critical global food safety challenges’

07-Jun-2021 By Katy Askew

Food safety is a business-critical issue. People worry about food safety and security as much as global warming, pollution and poverty, research from confectionery giant Mars reveals. FoodNavigator hears from Dr Guangtao Zhang, director of the Mars Global...

New Kerry research shows consumers more focused on food safety

07-Jun-2021 By Jim Cornall

More than 60% of consumers have increased their focus on food safety following the Covid-19 pandemic, according to recent research conducted by Kerry.

Frontline food industry workers prioritized for next phase of COVID-19 vaccination

21-Dec-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Frontline food industry workers will be among the first to be vaccinated after health care workers and those in long-term care facilities, according to federal guidance approved by the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization...

Retail margins squeezed by COVID-19 related costs may get worse before they get better, FMI warns

16-Oct-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Despite grocery retailer revenues rising amid increased consumer demand during the pandemic, higher costs associated with COVID-19 are squeezing already tight margins in a trend that FMI: The Food Industry Association warns likely will get worse before...

Sen. Booker targets corporate consolidation in agriculture for ‘fundamentally broken’ US food system

29-Jul-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Decrying the US food system as “fundamentally broken and worsening the challenge of justice in our country,” Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., is on an mission to block and dismantle corporate consolidation in agriculture, which he argues places profits over...

FDA unveils 10-year FSMA implementation plan

14-Jul-2020 By Hank Schultz

The US Food and Drug Administration yesterday launched a website portal it calls a ‘blueprint’ for the full implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act. The document lays out a plan for actions over the next decade.

Consumer concern for employee wellbeing impacts perception of food safety, access, research shows

21-May-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

As news continues to break about more workers at grocery stores and meat and poultry packing plants contracting coronavirus, consumer concern about employee health and their access to food and beverage during the pandemic is on the rise again after a...

Building supply chain resilience: ‘Pre-COVID supply chains and post-COVID supply chains are not going to look the same’

13-May-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

While COVID-19 has upended the status quo for the entire food industry from growers and distributors, to retailers and consumers, it has also exposed the lack of resiliency within the food supply chain to handle something as disruptive as a global pandemic,...

Hormel Foods reopens Illinois production facility after testing all employees for coronavirus

04-May-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Hormel Foods-owned Rochelle Foods is reopening its 400,000-square-foot plant in Illinois – which produces microwaveable and precooked bacon for foodservice and retail, deli hams, and Hormel Compleats microwaveable meals – after two weeks of temporary...

Consumer fears about safety eclipse those of access when grocery shopping during pandemic

16-Apr-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

Grocery shoppers’ concern about the health of other customers and store employees has eclipsed fears of running out of food as the death toll from the novel coronavirus continues to climb and high-demand items are restocked more quickly, according to...

FMI rebrands as 'The Food Industry Association’ to reflect rapid industry changes, expanded membership

22-Jan-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

To better reflect the rapidly evolving grocery retail landscape – and the increasingly complex and interconnected supply chain – FMI is adopting a more inclusive position and rebranding with the new tagline ‘The Food Industry Association.’

Industry pushes for 100% adoption of standard food date labeling by January 2020

25-Jun-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

By the end of 2019, 98% of food and beverage products will have adopted a standardized version of date labeling – ‘Best If Used By' – with complete adoption anticipated by January 2020, predict the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the...

FDA Acting Commissioner Sharpless promises ‘there will be no pause at FDA’ following Gottlieb’s departure

07-May-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

FDA’s new Acting Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Norman Sharpless, promised last week that he will pick up where outgoing Commissioner Scott Gottlieb left off in strengthening nutrition policy and regulation to improve the public’s health and implementing...

Study: Food date labels can cause widespread confusion and unnecessary food waste

20-Feb-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

A heightened awareness around food safety paired with consumer confusion around deciphering food date labels may be a major source of food waste at the consumer level, a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) suggests....

NEWS IN BRIEF

FDA readies for Produce Safety Rule for US farms, offers compliance resources

08-Feb-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Beginning this spring, the FDA will begin routine inspections of large domestic and international farms (excluding sprouts operations) as part of the Produce Safety Rule established under FSMA to better address food borne illnesses linked to fresh produce....