The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (EC’s DG SANTE) recently published a report on the effectiveness of EU Member States’ strategic approaches for fighting food fraud, which informed a guidance document that supports Member State efforts in this area.
As of November 16, 2023, there are 34 known cases of acute lead toxicity linked to recalled fruit puree pouches in the U.S. FDA has alluded to an unconfirmed theory that the common source of contamination may be an imported ingredient used in the products.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has introduced TKPlate, a new platform that can model and predict the toxicity and toxicokinetics of chemicals used in foods, which will help reduce the amount of animal testing used in food safety assessments.
On November 13, 2023, the Alliance for a Stronger FDA hosted a webinar with James "Jim" Jones, the recently appointed Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), during which he discussed his priorities, plans, and approach to change at the agency. He provided expected timelines for specific initiatives, such as finalization of the Agricultural Water Rule and an officialized outline of the new Human Foods Program.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a joint statement with the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), the European Environment Agency (EEA), and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to express their commitment to supporting the One Health agenda.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a letter to the Government of Minnesota requiring the state to address dangerous levels of nitrate contamination in its drinking water.
A new food safety management standard in the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) Safe Food Australia Code will come into effect for foodservice and retail businesses on December 8, 2023.
As an outbreak of a zoonotic disease in Paraguay has been resolved, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a final rule to allow the importation of fresh beef from the country under certain conditions, beginning December 14, 2023.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published a three-part guide describing how whole genome sequencing (WGS) can be used as a tool to strengthen foodborne illness surveillance and response.
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) recently published Our Food 2022, its annual report of food standards across the nation, which was conducted in collaboration with Food Standards Scotland (FSS). Although the UK faced significant challenges that affected the food system in 2022, FSA reported that that there has not been any significant change in food safety and authenticity standards, except for a trend in food allergen labeling requirements.