With each passing year, new and emerging technologies and techniques that have promise for advancing food safety are developed and validated. This article summarizes the top food safety innovations of 2023, based on audience interest.
The European Commission has set significantly stricter limits for the use of nitrites and nitrates as food additives to reduce consumer exposure to carcinogenic nitrosamines. EU food business operators have two years to adapt to the new limits.
The level of consumer exposure to genotoxic and carcinogenic nitrosamines in foods raise a public health concern, according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
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.
Researchers funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are developing a new method of curing meats that would use an amino acid instead of sodium nitrite, addressing food safety concerns about the negative health effects associated with nitrite additives.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has explained the science behind its draft opinion on the public health risk of nitrosamines in food, which was recently opened to public consultation.
CSPI petitioned FSIS to amend its labeling regulations to prohibit the statements "No Nitrate or Nitrite Added" and "Uncured" on meat products that have been processed using any sources of nitrates or nitrites, including non-synthetic sources.
