The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has announced that it is making temporary allowances for the use of sodium nitrite derived from natural sources, in an effort to address shortages of synthetic sodium nitrite used to cure meat and poultry products.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) has announced that it is accepting applications from eligible organizations seeking funding through the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops Program (TASC) for fiscal year 2024.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a draft scientific opinion that updates the risk assessment of mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) in food and is inviting stakeholders to provide their input on the draft. MOH comprise a wide range of chemical compounds obtained mainly from petroleum distillation and refining.

A pre-publication draft of a final rule from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has revealed EPA’s intent to regulate several types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as contaminants, setting new maximum levels for six PFAS in drinking water.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is calling for comment on an application to allow the use of alpha-glucosidase—a permitted enzyme processing aid derived from a genetically modified (GM) source—for the brewing of beer.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced it is requesting $7.2 billion as part of the president’s fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget, $128.2 million of which the agency intends to invest in food safety and nutrition modernization, including food labeling and animal food safety oversight. The agency also announced a number of legislative proposals that enhance its regulatory authorities alongside the funding requests.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently highlighted recently completed and ongoing work for two separate projects, the first being an expert presentation on foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Nepal, and the second being an evaluation of the national food control system in Kenya.

The EU is making changes to the levels of arsenic allowed to be present in certain foods. The European Commission published Regulation (EU) 2023/465, amending Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006, which sets forth maximum levels of contaminants, such as arsenic, in certain foods.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is asking interested stakeholders to take a survey about the use of new genomic techniques for the production of genetically modified microorganisms intended for food and feed.

In a letter, top U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials called upon the infant formula industry to help the agency in protecting infants by ensuring the safety of their products.