Tag: additive
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EFSA Finds Aspartame Safe at Current Exposure Levels
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources Added to Food (ANS) has published its full risk assessment on aspartame, concluding that the food additive is safe at current levels of exposure. In addition to noting that aspartame’s breakdown products— phenylalanine, methanol and aspartic acid—occur naturally in other foods, EFSA’s…
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Putative Class Alleges Whole Foods Products Contain GM Ingredients
Texas and California residents have filed a putative class action against Whole Foods Market Services, Inc. in a Texas federal court, alleging that the company’s private label lines include falsely labeled additive-laden and genetically modified (GM) foods, despite promises that its products contain “nothing artificial” and that it enforces “strict quality standards.” Gedalia v. Whole…
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FDA Changes References in Food Additive Regulations
In response to a petition filed by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a final rule that amends select food-additive regulations referring to “food-grade specifications from prior editions of the Food Chemicals Codes (FCC) to incorporate by reference food-grade specifications from the FCC 7th Edition.” The rule took…
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Phosphorus Intake Allegedly Tied to Increased Mortality Risk
A recent study has reportedly linked high phosphorus consumption to increased all-cause mortality in a healthy adult population, raising concerns about the use of inorganic phosphorus additives in processed food. Alex Chang, et al., “High dietary phosphorus intake is associated with all-cause mortality: results from NHANES-III,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, November 2013. Relying on…
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FDA Seeks Comments on Standards for Anti-Salmonella Chemical Food Additives
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a request for comments on proposed revisions to its “Guidance for Industry: Studies to Evaluate the Utility of Anti-Salmonella Chemical Food Additives in Feeds.” With the aim of helping sponsors design efficacy studies to support the submission of food additive petitions (FAPs) related to preventing Salmonella…
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India’s Supreme Court Orders Checks on Carbonated Soft Drinks
India’s Supreme Court has reportedly accepted a government scientific panel’s finding that the chemical additives in soft drinks— e.g., artificial sweeteners, phosphoric acid, carbon dioxide, coloring agents, benzoic acid, and caffeine—are well within safety levels and do not pose a health hazard to citizens. According to a news source, the Union government insisted that the Food Supply…
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Court Narrows Misbranding Allegations Against Dole
A federal court in California has granted in part and denied in part the motion to dismiss filed by Dole Food Co. in a putative nationwide class action alleging that the company misbrands a number of its fruit products by making certain “all natural,” “fresh,” nutrient content, antioxidant, sugar-free, and health claims, as well as…
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EC Amends Nano Elements of Food Information and Labeling Rule
The European Commission (EC) has issued a draft rule amending Regulation 1169/2011—a food information and labeling rule adopted in 2011—with regard to use of the term “nano” to describe food additives. The amended rule requires adherence to the definition of “engineered nanomaterial” provided in Recommendation 2011/696/EU, because this rule “reflects the technical and scientific progress to…