Food Safety

The Corn Refiners Association will meet with the White House next Tuesday (Oct. 29) to discuss FDA’s expected draft regulatory proposal that will define the term “healthy” and lay out guidelines for making nutrient content claims.

More than a year after the White House called for creation of a single food safety agency under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, former FDA chief Scott Gottlieb argued against removing food safety from FDA’s regulatory scope.

Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen sued FDA on Tuesday (Sept. 10) for not acting on the group’s 2018 citizen petition to ban cesium chloride from dietary supplements.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest questioned FDA’s decision to approve a color additive in the plant-based Impossible Burger, saying the agency ignored its own guidance on toxicity testing for additives used in food, as well as research by the World Health Organization (WHO) showing that a compound found in the additive could contribute to an increase in cancer risk.

The White House Office of Management and Budget on Monday (Aug. 26) began reviewing an FDA proposed rule that would update the definition of the word “healthy” when used in food labeling, and make it consistent with current nutrition science and federal dietary guidelines.

The pharmaceutical industry, including GW Pharmaceuticals, the producer of cannabidiol-containing drug Epidiolex, warns FDA that allowing CBD in consumer products could freeze research and development on use of CBD in prescription drugs.

Hemp farmers, producers, manufacturers and processors, including those in tribal communities, told a Senate panel they are eagerly awaiting FDA’s next move on regulating cannabis-based products, namely those containing cannabidiol (CBD) derived from hemp, as those regulatory steps will drive the market.

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) complained to FDA on Wednesday (July 17) that the agency has yet to resolve issues surrounding its standard of identity for milk, namely whether plant-based products should be called “milk.”

After several dozen sprout-related foodborne illness outbreaks, FDA warned sprout seed handlers at all levels of the supply chain to clean up their act by issuing draft guidance Monday (June 24) on how to reduce the risk of pathogen exposure during the production of sprout seeds.