In a new study, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has detected the pesticide chlormequat in four out of five people tested. After allowing the chemical on imported foods, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a rule in 2023 that would allow chlormequat to be applied to barley, oat, triticale, and wheat crops.

FDA recently published revisions to one guidance for industry and withdrew another. Specifically, FDA released revisions to the Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCHF) Draft Guidance, and withdrew its guidance on chlorpyrifos residues due to the U.S. Court of Appeals voiding EPA's ban on food tolerances for the pesticide chemical.

USDA’s Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary for 2022 shows that more than 99 percent of products sampled through PDP had residues below tolerances set by EPA. However, testing for persistent environmental contaminants that are no longer used as pesticides in the U.S. showed the presence of certain banned chemicals in some foods.

A proposed strategy from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) aims to improve the agency’s screening process for the harmful effects that pesticides and agricultural chemicals may have on the human endocrine system, starting with immediately requiring additional data to be submitted by the manufacturers of certain high-priority chemicals. 

The added microbial risks that come with eating more plant-based foods can usually be mitigated by adjusting recipes or process parameters, although hazard considerations regarding the chemical safety of a diet richer in plant-based materials is more complex. Also, introducing reusable packaging may come with its own set of issues.

A federal appeals court has overturned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 2021 ban on all uses of the toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos in food crops.

The Swedish Food Agency's sampling of pesticide residues in food during 2021 has shown that, similarly to previous years, the majority of foods tested did not contain pesticides that exceeded EU maximum residue limits (MRLs), although rice was the biggest offender.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released the report for its fiscal year (FY) 2021 pesticide residue monitoring program, summarizing findings from FDA testing of human and animal foods for pesticides and industrial compounds. 

Although the use of glyphosate on crops poses a food safety risk and its use should be curbed, completely banning the substance too early may lead to farmers using chemical alternatives that are just as harmful to human and environmental health, according to experts from Wageniningen University and Research (WUR).

To align the Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for 127 agricultural and veterinary chemicals with international authorities, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) recently released its annual call for comment on proposed changes.