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Jonan Pilet is a writer residing in Huntington, West Virginia. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in writing at Houghton College in New York. He also studied writing at the University of Oxford and received a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at Seattle Pacific University. Pilet has had short stories published in various journals and anthologies and his debut short story collection, "Nomad, Nomad" was released June 2021.

A recently published study in the Journal of Applied Physiology suggests that erythritol, a widely used non-nutritive sweetener in sugar-free and low-calorie foods, may impair brain vascular cell function and potentially increase the risk of stroke.

The findings, published June 3, add to a growing body of research raising questions

Continue Reading Sugar substitute could disrupt brain blood flow, researchers warn

A multistate outbreak of Salmonella Oranienburg infections tied to Emek-brand Pistachio Cream has sickened four people across two states, according to an investigation update from the FDA.

 No deaths have been reported, but one person has been hospitalized.

The outbreak spans Minnesota and New Jersey, with illnesses reported as of

Continue Reading Salmonella outbreak linked to Pistachio Cream sickens 4 in 2 states

Federal authorities have charged two Chinese researchers with smuggling Fusarium graminearum — a fungus that threatens crops and food safety — into the United States, raising concerns about risks to the food supply.

Yunqing Jian, 33, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan, and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34

Continue Reading Chinese researchers charged with smuggling crop fungus, raising food safety concerns

Mars Wrigley, the maker of Skittles, says it removed titanium dioxide, a whitening agent used in candies and sauces, from its U.S. product line by the end of 2024, responding to consumer demand for cleaner ingredients.

The European Union banned titanium dioxide in 2022 because of concerns about potential genotoxicity

Continue Reading Skittles quietly drops titanium dioxide as food industry reduces chemicals

Senator Tom Cotton, R-AR, has introduced legislation that would direct the Department of Agriculture to study consolidating federal food safety agencies into a single entity. If approved, the Study And Framework for Efficiency in Food Oversight and Organizational Design Act of 2025, or SAFE FOOD Act, would aim to enhance

Continue Reading Senator Cotton proposes study to streamline food safety oversight

The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission Report addresses food safety and its impact on chronic childhood illnesses in the United States. 

Commissioned by President Donald Trump via executive order on Feb.13, the 14-member panel, chaired by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., includes federal officials such

Continue Reading Trump-ordered MAHA report urges stricter oversight of food safety and additives

A Washington family is suing Safeway and its parent company, Albertsons, claiming that a mislabeled cookie caused the death of 78-year-old Margaret Jean “Peggy” Bryant, which they say exposes serious failures in food safety protocols.

On April 7, 2023, Bryant, 78, purchased what she believed was an oatmeal raisin cookie

Continue Reading Family sues Safeway after mislabeled cookie causes grandmother’s death

Editor’s note: Phyllis Entis of eFoodAlert contributed to this story.

Fresh & Ready Foods, LLC, a San Fernando-based manufacturer of ready-to-eat sandwiches and snacks, has faced repeated food safety violations since 2009. FDA inspection records show ongoing concerns about sanitation and hazard controls.

The company announced a recall of more

Continue Reading Fresh & Ready Foods’ history of violations precedes Listeria outbreak, recall

A former Walt Disney World employee who hacked the company’s digital menu system and tampered with allergen information — falsely labeling peanut-containing items as safe — was sentenced to prison on April 24.

The tampering posed potentially life-threatening risks to allergy sufferers and exposed significant vulnerabilities in food safety cybersecurity.

Continue Reading Ex-Disney employee sentenced for hacking menus, tampering with allergen information