In a February 17 resignation letter, James (Jim) Jones, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, stated that 89 “indiscriminate” firings in the Human Foods Program, including layoffs of employees with “highly technical expertise in nutrition, infant formula, food safety response,” would render his job to protect food safety “fruitless.”
This episode of Food Safety Five covers a new EU regulation that limits PFAS in food packaging and bans single-use plastics for fruit and vegetables under a certain weight, among other changes. Also discussed is a bill introduced to the New York State legislature to ban certain food additives and tighten requirements for GRAS ingredients.
Changes are coming to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with the recent confirmation of President Trump's nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) as Secretary, amid talks of major workforce reductions at HHS agencies including FDA and CDC.
According to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group’s (PIRG’s) Food for Thought 2025 report, hospitalizations and deaths linked to foodborne illnesses doubled in 2024. Illnesses also increased, 98 percent of which were attributed to just 13 outbreaks. The number of USDA and FDA recalls decreased by 5 percent.
A partisan House bill sponsored by U.S. Representatives Tracey Mann (R-KS) and Steve Womack (R-AK) aims to block USDA from using federal funds to implement its proposed regulatory framework for Salmonella in raw poultry products, the goal of which is to reduce foodborne salmonellosis cases.
Researchers from Wageningen University and Research have characterized the toxicological effects and allergenic potential of emerging alternative protein sources in a recent review.
A recent study has characterized the challenges of ensuring food safety in “dark kitchens”—which sell food for takeout or delivery solely via online platforms and may operate out of shared kitchens—from the perspectives of both environmental health officers and the business operators themselves.
If enacted during the New York State budget process in March, the Food Safety and Chemical Disclosure Act would require food companies to disclose their use of any “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) ingredients, and would ban some additives and dyes from foods sold or made in New York or in its schools.
This episode of Food Safety Five covers the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) recent ban on red dye 3, including the legal and scientific justifications for the decision, as well as external pressures from various parties leading to the ban.
Weather conditions associated with climate change are exacerbating the spread of Salmonella and Campylobacter, suggest researchers at the University of Surrey’s School of Veterinary Medicine.
