According to recently released U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection reports, in the year leading up to the deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak caused by Boar’s Head deli meats, serious noncompliances with food safety regulations were observed regularly at the facility responsible.
Industry concerns about compliance with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) impending Food Traceability Final Rule/FSMA 204 have been brought to light in a recently released report based on a series of roundtable discussions conducted in spring 2024 by the Reagan-Udall Foundation.
This article summarizes the results of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA’s) Pesticide Monitoring Program Report for fiscal year (FY) 2022, including the rates of violative samples, imported versus domestic foods, and chemicals of concern.
A recent European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) project explored new methods to understand the immunotoxicity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). At the same time, one Swiss canton has called on Parliament to develop a PFAS action plan after finding widespread contamination on farms, and has banned the sale of beef with high levels of the chemical.
The California Assembly has passed AB 2316, named the California School Food Safety Act, which aims to ban six potentially toxic synthetic food dyes from foods sold or offered at public schools. The bill now awaits signature into law by Governor Gavin Newsom.
A recent review of carcinogenicity data submitted to support U.S. FDA “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) determinations for food substances has shown that, although the types of carcinogenicity data are varied, safety is typically adequately evidenced. Still, a standardized approach defining which data is required to support a GRAS determination could be useful.
A recent survey of raw flour and flour-based foods conducted by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) found a low incidence of Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) among sampled products. Whole genome sequencing revealed a link between a Salmonella isolate from a sample and a human illness.
California AB 2316, which is named the California School Food Safety Act and aims to ban six synthetic food dyes from school foods, will soon face an important vote. Proponents and detractors of the bill have made their voices heard ahead of the vote.
A recent study has demonstrated that targeting high-virulence Salmonella serotypes in risk management strategies and food safety regulation for poultry products—such as USDA’s new regulatory framework for Salmonella in raw poultry parts—could improve public health outcomes.
Following the largest Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) outbreak affecting children in the Province of Alberta, Canada’s history, a review panel has put forth several recommendations that focus on fostering food safety culture and developing food safety inspection systems for childcare establishments/kitchens.
