The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated two types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)—as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA Act, also known as the Superfund Act).

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently published testing results for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in foods collected as part of its Total Diet Study (TDS), and has provided an update on the agency’s activities to better understand and address PFAS in the U.S. food supply, including an updated analytical method to measure the chemicals. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is partnering with the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) and the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) to present upcoming Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards Self-Assessment and Verification Audit (SAVA) Workshops at industry events taking place during summer 2024.

On May 3, 2024 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold a webinar featuring representatives from the State of Iowa and Richmond County, North Carolina who will discuss how their jurisdictions achieved conformance with all nine of FDA’s Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards.

Allergen-related food recalls have increased since the introduction of FDA's Food Safety Modernization Act in 2011. This article shares the fundamentals of conducting an allergen gap assessment to help companies comply with new FDA guidance on allergen management.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued an order regarding maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides in spices and culinary herbs, in alignment with Codex Alimentarius guidelines and the MRLs adopted by the U.S., the EU, Japan, and Australia/New Zealand.

The European Commission has proposed amendments to EU regulations regarding allowable levels of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods to apply to additional food business operators along the supply chain.

In evaluating the thousands of existing PFAS compounds and at what level they present a risk to the health of humans and animals, FDA, USDA, CPSC, and EPA are focusing on three issues: bioaccumulation, persistence, and toxicity.

As the EU is considering a ban on bisphenol A (BPA) and its analogues in food packaging based on the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) recent lowering of its tolerable daily intake (TDI) for the chemical, an international group of academic experts has penned their support for EFSA’s nontraditional risk assessment behind the new BPA TDI, and call on other regulatory agencies around the globe to modernize their risk assessment approaches of endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

Contamination is a major challenge for composters. California AB 1201 expanded requirements for compostable products, but a recent study by CalRecycle found it unfeasible to separate suitable products for organic agricultural use from non-suitable ones. This decision affects compostable product requirements in other legislation.