Category: Legislation, Regulations and Standards

  • FDA Issues Guidance on Arsenic in Infant Rice Cereals

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued final guidance on inorganic arsenic in rice cereals for infants that sets the action level at 100 micrograms per kilogram, or 100 parts per billion. “FDA has made the determination that this level is achievable based on sampling and testing results,” the guidance states. “This guidance…

  • WHO Issues Call for Food Safety Experts

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a call for experts to join the Technical Advisory Group on Food Safety: Safer Food for Better Health, which “will serve as an advisory body to WHO through providing technical guidance and inputs to support WHO’s efforts and work in food safety by analyzing the current and future…

  • U.K. to Implement New Food Advertising Standards

    U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a series of measures aimed at limiting advertising for foods high in salt, sugar and fat. The measures include a ban on ads for such foods before 9 p.m., the implementation of calorie counts on food menus and a ban on “buy one get one” deals on some…

  • FDA Issues Consumer Update on Milk Allergies and Dark Chocolate

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an update for consumers on its 2018 study examining milk allergies and dark chocolate. “U.S. law requires manufacturers to label food products that are major allergens, as well as food products that contain major allergenic ingredients or proteins,” the update notes. “Allergens contained in a food…

  • Europe Announces Seizure of Counterfeit Dairy Products

    Europol and Interpol have announced the seizure of 320 additional tonnes of “counterfeit and substandard food and beverages” following an operation that involved 83 countries, bringing the operation’s seizure total to about 12,000 tonnes. “This year’s operational activities have found a new disturbing trend to address: the infiltration of low-quality products into the supply chain,…

  • New York Legislature Passes Bill to Ban PFAS in Food Packaging

    The New York legislature has passed SB 8817, which would prohibit “the distribution, sale, and offer for sale in New York” any food packaging that contains perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as “intentionally added chemicals.” “Food packaging is a key place to look for PFAS chemicals, as they often include non-stick components to repel grease.…

  • USDA Soliciting Feedback on Bioengineered Foods List

    The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will accept comments on recommendations to update the List of Bioengineered Foods as it pertains to the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard. Recommendations include the addition of sugarcane and an amendment to reflect that the only currently available trait for bioengineered summer squash…

  • FDA Releases Draft Guidance on Cannabis Research

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the availability of draft guidance that “outlines FDA’s current thinking on several topics relevant to the development of cannabis and cannabis-derived products: The source of cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds for clinical research; general quality considerations for developing drugs that contain cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds; and calculation…