Starting in 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began to include new restrictions in new Food Contact Notifications on the use of food contact substances for infant applications. Recently, FDA has hosted webinars to present information on regulatory requirements and considerations for infant formula ingredients and packaging. This article will discuss the history and current efforts by FDA to ensure the safety of infant formula, especially pertaining to food contact substances used in packaging.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated its infant formula compliance program, which outlines the agency’s approach to inspections, sample collection, sample analysis, and compliance activities for FDA personnel, with a focus on Cronobacter and Salmonella contamination.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided an update on its work to prevent Cronobacter sakazakii illnesses associated with consumption of powdered infant formula.

Following recalls of product potentially contaminated with Cronobacter sakazakii and subsequent inspections, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued warning letters to three infant formula manufacturers for failing to adequately prevent the pathogenic adulteration of their formula products.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has announced a virtual public meeting of the full National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) on August 30, 2023 to discuss a report on Cyclospora cayetanensis in produce and a charge on Cronobacter in powdered infant formula.

A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign concluded that, when sampling powdered infant formula for Cronobacter contamination, sampling with stratification may be more powerful than random sampling, and that taking more samples, even if smaller, increases the ability to detect contamination.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) will conduct an independent study on challenges in the U.S. infant formula supply, market competition, and regulation.

The full committee of the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) will hold a hybrid in-person and virtual public meeting on May 16, 2023, to provide an update on the Cyclospora cayetanensis in produce and Cronobacter in powdered infant formula subcommittee work.

In this bonus episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with two MilliporeSigma food safety experts about recent foodborne illness outbreaks and food safety incidents linked to infant formula, risk factors for formula contamination, and how producers can ensure formula safety and regulatory compliance.   

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will host two webinars to provide stakeholders with information on regulatory requirements and considerations for infant formula ingredients and packaging in May and June, respectively.