A joint Nordic project has just ended with a report that focuses on the chemical and microbiological hazards associated with seaweed as a food. The project aims to develop a common Nordic approach to seaweed food safety risk management.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced new recommended action levels for lead in certain processed baby foods. The proposed action levels supports the Closer to Zero initiative to continually reduce babies’ and young children’s exposure to toxic heavy metals from food.

The overuse of antibiotics in livestock raised for food can seriously affect human health and fuel antimicrobial resistance by decreasing the effectiveness of medications used for treating bacterial infections. Without effective antimicrobials, common infections will become life-threatening and certain treatments will not be possible.

A recent study has linked the consumption of nitrites and nitrates, found in food and water, to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. 

A recent study has raised alarm bells regarding the levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in U.S. freshwater fish, with findings suggesting that consuming a single serving of fish could have the same effect as drinking heavily PFAS-contaminated water for a month.

A recent study has explored the potential of recycling human waste for use as a food-safe, sustainable fertilizer. The findings suggest that the risk of pharmaceuticals entering foods from human waste compost is low.

Consumer groups are calling for the use of erythrosine—also known as red dye 3—in foods to be banned, pointing to studies suggesting the food coloring’s carcinogenicity and children’s heightened exposure to the coloring.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has established a new Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for copper, and has determined that, at present, the EU population’s combined exposure to copper from all sources does not pose a health concern.

Six nations have assessed their performances in minimizing and containing foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The work was done as part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ (FAO’s) ACT project, which aims to support the global implementation of Codex Alimentarius texts on AMR.

In support of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) “Closer to Zero” Action Plan, the agency will be cohosting a two-day virtual workshop on research in risk communication, environmental contaminants in food, and the role of nutrition as they relate to child development. Also cohosting the event is the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH’s) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.