Food Safety

Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is pushing an immediate way to allow cannabidiol (CBD) in products like food and supplements: FDA could ask manufacturers to submit petitions showing CBD can be safely added to their products, and in the meantime exercise enforcement discretion as long as the products meet certain conditions, including that they don’t claim to treat disease.

Acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless told agency staff in an email Tuesday (July 23) that his top priorities are to develop frameworks for regulating new technologies; invest in the agency’s workforce; help to lower drug prices by encouraging drug competition; and improve postmarket surveillance of regulated products.

FDA on Tuesday (July 2) added new information to its fish consumption advice webpage that was not previously included in a 2017 notice, on the health benefits of eating fish.

A consumer advocacy group criticized FDA after the agency finalized a guidance meant to clarify how industry should label sugar on the nutrition facts panel for single-ingredient sugars, syrups and certain cranberry products.

The House Appropriations Committee approved a 2020 funding bill on Tuesday (June 4) that would give FDA a $184 million boost over 2019 levels. During the markup, lawmakers voted to restore language featured in previous bills that would prevent the genetic modification of human embryos.

Days before the House Appropriations Committee is set to mark up an FDA funding bill, an expert on the agency’s budget process said there are plenty of challenges looming ahead that could sink the $184 million increase that House lawmakers propose in the bill.

The House Appropriations agriculture subcommittee on Thursday (May 23) voted to send a fiscal 2020 funding bill that would give FDA a $184 million increase over its fiscal 2019 levels to the full committee.

FDA issued a draft guidance Friday (May 17) stating the agency will exercise enforcement discretion to allow food manufacturers to use the phrase “potassium chloride salt” on the ingredient statement in food labels as an alternative to the commonly used name of “potassium chloride,” which is used as a partial substitute for sodium chloride to reduce the amount of sodium in prepared and processed foods.

FDA announced a slate of new food safety proposals on Tuesday (April 30), including a pilot to use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to review imported foods; an effort to move towards digital food tracing technology; a promise to look into how to oversee the e-commerce food delivery system; and a public meeting to discuss all of the above with industry and state and local governments.