A draft compliance policy guide published in today’s Federal Register outlines how FDA plans to enforce major food allergen labeling and the risk of cross-contact, but does not directly address the unintended consequences of the recent addition of sesame...
During the American Frozen Food Institute’s (AFFI) Government Action Summit on May 9-10, leaders and executives in the frozen food industry met with Congressional representatives and staff to discuss the potential reorganization of the FDA’s food division...
FDA is reopening the comment period for draft guidance on labeing plant-based milk at the request of several stakeholder groups, but comments already submitted reveal a wide rift between dairy and plant-based players about how best to describe non-dairy...
Popular fruit-on-the-bottom and cup-set yogurt styles can remain on the market in the US after FDA late last week amended the yogurt standard to eliminate a controversial titratable acidity requirement at the behest of the International Dairy Foods Association.
Restructuring FDA to create a new human foods program that elevates the safety and oversight of the US food supply will not adequately address the concerns outlined in the Reagan-Udall’s audit of the agency without a significant boost in funding and dedicated...
The proposal is intended to provide more flexibility for foods with standards of identity where salt is a required or optional ingredient, and “facilitate industry innovation to reduce sodium in standardized foods,” the agency stated.
While many industry stakeholders laud FDA’s efforts to reduce lead in baby food and products for children under 2 years old, they question the logic behind the tolerable levels proposed by the agency in draft regulation and want additional guidance on...
Products making dietary guidance statements should contain a meaningful amount of the featured ingredient or food category and not exceed certain amounts of saturated fat, sodium and added sugar, according to FDA’s draft guidance for industry on questions...
Does the legislation have legs or is it just for optics? Stakeholders agree the bills are a step in a positive direction, but what impact they will have, if any, is yet to be seen.
FDA could seek disciplinary action against baby and toddler food manufacturers for lead and other contaminates even before it finalizes recently proposed draft guidance to limit lead concentrations in packaged food for young children, agency officials...
The word ‘gruyere’ is 'generic', a US Court of Appeals told two consortiums who had argued the term should only be used to describe cheese made in a specific region of Switzerland and France.
Even as FDA kicks off a search for a deputy commissioner for its proposed Human Foods Program who it says will have a “clear line of authority over” all human food safety and nutrition programs, industry stakeholders worry agency is choosing a “business...
FDA’s proposal that plant-based products can continue to be labeled as ‘milk’ but should also highlight how their nutritional value compares to their dairy counterparts has rankled stakeholders on both sides of the highly contested debate on what products...
Industry leaders and food safety stakeholders are calling out FDA for not going far enough in its plans to unify under a new Human Foods Program nearly all of its major food components that currently are scattered across multiple divisions.
FDA will allow a very narrow set of claims linking cocoa flavanols in high flavanol cocoa powder and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease following a petition from Switzerland-based chocolate and cocoa product manufacturer Barry Callebaut AG.
FDA this morning unveiled a “transformative vision” for a unified Human Foods Program that will bring together under one empowered deputy commissioner nearly all of its major food components that currently are scattered across multiple divisions to better...
FDA once again is considering front-of-pack labeling “to help consumers interpret the nutrient information on food products,” including testing a controversial traffic light approach to show when a product is high or low in select nutrients and a design...
Rumors about a big FDA announcement began swirling earlier this week, with the industry bracing for a potential end to a five-year wait on the regulatory future of CBD. But, much like the last few years, CBD professionals were left waiting without answers,...
Calls for a single, clearly defined leader over FDA’s food program with direct lines of authority and adequate funding are intensifying from former and existing agency officials, including Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy Frank Yiannas who cited the...
FDA’s long-awaited guidance for limiting lead concentrations in packaged food for babies and toddlers published yesterday estimates a reduced exposure risk upwards of 27%, but according to some stakeholders this isn’t high enough.
Recognizing the cultural significance of seafood varies among different groups of Americans, FDA has asked an expert panel to consider health equity and environmental justice issues in their review of children’s exposure to toxins from seafood.
After a scathing review published earlier this month by the Reagan-Udall Foundation criticized FDA for its scattered and inefficient approach to food safety and applied nutrition, the agency says it is committed to “building a world-class human foods...
While the European Commission recently banned the use of titanium dioxide (TiO2) in foods in the EU, and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has just warned consumers to avoid it, the FDA tells us it has reviewed the scientific opinion...
Industry leaders are lauding proposed changes to FDA’s food program outlined in a highly-anticipated external review by the Reagan-Udall Foundation published yesterday that includes calls for a “single clearly identified” leader with direct lines of authority...
The recent raft of warning letters to brands selling CBD-infused foods and beverages marked a shift in FDA approaches to the ingredient, with the Agency seeming to opine that food and beverages are “somehow a greater risk than supplements”.
The FDA has sent out a raft of warning letters to brands selling CBD-infused foods and beverages, adopting an “aggressive position” that one industry source told us made him “concerned for our entire industry.”
The FDA has issued a proposed rule updating the criteria for the ‘healthy’ nutrient content claim on food labels that for the first time restricts the amount of added sugar firms can include in products bearing the claim.
The FDA’s stance that CBD is not legal as a dietary ingredient as it was first investigated as a drug has not hindered consumer interest in CBD-infused food and beverage products, claims Matt Oscamou, co-founder of CBD sparkling water brand Weller, which...
Legislation currently in the Senate could burden the hemp industry by setting an unrealistically low level of allowable THC, an industry group has said.
On Capitol Hill last week, hemp industry stakeholders and Congressional leaders frustrated by FDA’s lack of regulations for CBD and other hemp-derived compounds since the 2018 Farm Bill authorized commercial production of the crop, explored how the 2023...
Facing sharp criticism in the media that FDA’s approach to food safety is “broken,” “Byzantine” and a “ridiculous joke,” the agency is undertaking a “top to bottom” review of the “structure, function, funding and leadership” of its food program, agency...
Frustrated with FDA’s “inefficient decision making,” reliance on “inexperienced and undertrained” inspectors and “split and siloed” approach to food safety and oversight, the Consumer Brands Association this morning reiterated its call for the agency...
The FDA has acknowledged that people are frustrated it isn’t moving more quickly to set action levels for heavy metals in baby foods, but says proposals from states' attorneys general to expedite the process and immediately set thresholds for heavy...
A new study that sampled dozens of commercially available CBD products found detectable THC levels in 64% of them. Some levels were high enough to approach therapeutic thresholds or to potentially trigger drug test failures.
FDA came down hard on purveyors of Delta-8 THC and CBD products that were making disease claims on the substances. The Agency also reiterated the reasons it believes Delta-8 is not a suitable ingredient for products marketed as supplements.
More work is needed to tackle heavy metals in foods & beverages, especially those consumed by young children, but we shouldn’t throw out the baby with the bathwater, said food industry executives at a public meeting held as the FDA issued new action...
Despite the wide availability of CBD in its various forms—oil, topical ointments, tinctures, vaping and edibles— a recent poll shows parents are misinformed on CBD.
FDA is tightening food safety requirements and recommendations for CEA (controlled environment agriculture) firms after an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimirium was traced back to packaged salads produced to one indoor farming facility last summer, calling...
The FDA said it "intends to propose" that Acacia (Gum Arabic), also known as gum acacia, be added to its approved list of dietary fibers after determining that the scientific evidence available supports that gum acacia can help reduce blood...
As expected, the Biden Administration has nominated Dr Robert Califf, MD, as the new FDA Commissioner. Dr Califf previously served in the role during the Obama Administration.
FDA reinforces and clarifies advice that pregnant and nursing women and young children should eat fish lower in mercury to support brain, heart and immune health and development, according to updated guidance released by the agency late last week.
Industry stakeholders have welcomed the news that the Biden Adminstration is reportedly ready to name Dr. Robert Califf, MD as the new FDA Commissioner, given that he has prior experience at the Agency during the Obama years.
An FDA survey investigating the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – a class of human-made chemicals – in nationally distributed processed foods found that of the 167 food samples tested, three had detectable levels of the chemicals....
The US Food & Drug Administration has sent a letter to Amazon about the availability of drug-tainted sexual enhancement and weight loss products for sale on its platform, the majority of which were marketed as dietary supplements.
