This Food Safety Five Newsreel episode covers recent news updates from FDA, including the release of a supplement to the 2022 Food Code, as well as the agency’s Human Foods Program priorities for 2025, and how budget constraints might influence its chemical safety work.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has increased the acceptable daily intake for saccharin (commonly known as Sweet’N Low) by 4 mg/kg of bodyweight per day, saying the latest scientific evidence does not support that the artificial sweetener is damaging to DNA.

Consumer Reports has delivered a petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging the agency to ban red dye 3 in foods, and are cautioning the public about certain Halloween candies containing the colorant.

In a September 25 public meeting and supplementary document, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) outlined its developing enhanced, systematic process for the post-market assessment of chemicals in food. The proposed process is open for public comment until December 6.

In the wake of the California School Food Safety Act, on October 11, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) will hold a free, publicly available webinar discussing how consumer concerns about artificial food coloring are influencing policies and shaping the regulatory future of food additives.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro’s Toxic Free Food Act would require the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to overhaul the “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) process, calling it a “loophole” that allows substances to secretly enter the food supply without adequate safety review.

Following a health assessment of brominated vegetable oil (BVO), Health Canada has revoked its authorization for use as a food additive.

Food manufacturers continue to face an evolving and expanding patchwork of state-specific restrictions on food additives. 

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.