After a poisoning outbreak linked to “legal” mushroom-based edibles sold across the country, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has informed industry that the mushroom Amanita muscaria is not authorized for use as an ingredient in food.
Earthjustice sued FDA on behalf of consumer advocates that previously petitioned FDA to revoke food contact authorizations for 28 phthalates, and were denied. Although FDA since revoked authorizations for many of those phthalates and says the rest are under review, the plaintiffs hope their lawsuit will force a long-overdue safety reassessment.
USDA is soliciting nominations for 30 new appointees to the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF), who will be tasked with reviewing USDA-FSIS’ regulatory approach for Listeria, among other charges.
On December 19, the European Commission officially adopted a sweeping ban on the use of Bisphenol A (BPA), as well as some other bisphenols considered harmful, in all food contact materials. Industry will be allowed an 18-month transition period.
Boar’s Head has responded to a letter from 22 members of Congress probing the company about the recent, fatal listeriosis outbreak linked to its products. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who signed the letter, called Boar’s Head’s response “not credible” and “a classic corporate dodge.”
The European Commission has updated its list of food imports from certain countries that are subjected to temporarily increased official controls due to contamination risk.
The FAO/WHO Joint Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) has published a report ranking the most important foodborne viruses and virus-food commodity pairings.
California has declared a state of emergency as the current outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 (HPAI H5N1) continues to sweep North American dairy herds.
To assist interpretation of test results generated by UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) microbiology laboratories, UKHSA has published new guidelines for assessing the microbiological safety of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods placed on the market.
The Government of Canada has amended the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR), making changes to the regulatory framework for food compositional standards, affecting certain regulations concerning food additives and compositional standards, microbiological criteria, and methods of analysis for food.