Sept16FDA-hearingIt’s an oft-heard statement from officials at the Food and Drug Administration: The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requires sufficient funding allocated by Congress in order to be a success. The testimony that Acting FDA Commissioner Stephen Ostroff and Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine Michael Taylor gave before
Continue Reading FDA Tells Senate Subcommittee Full Funding is ‘Absolutely Critical’ for FSMA Success

Four-and-a-half years after the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law, the first two major rules have been finalized. On Aug. 31, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials announced that they had submitted the final rules on preventive controls in human and animal food to the Federal
Continue Reading FDA Finalizes FSMA Preventive Controls Rules For Human, Animal Foods

The House Appropriations Committee has allocated a $41.5-million increase for the Food and Drug Administration’s food safety activities for fiscal year 2016, but it’s less than half of what President Obama’s budget requested. Agriculture Subcommittee Chairman Robert Aderholt (R-AL) said Thursday in his opening remarks before the subcommittee’s markup of
Continue Reading House Appropriations Gives FSMA $41.5-Million Increase

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is studying the regulatory comment submitted by consumer groups two weeks ago, suggesting that its rule for the process of determining food substances as “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) be altered before it’s finalized. During last week’s Food Safety Summit in Baltimore, Michael Taylor,
Continue Reading Taylor Says FDA is Working to Improve Consumer Confidence in GRAS

Top officials of U.S. food safety agencies are not wholeheartedly supportive of a single food safety agency, arguing that collaboration is a higher priority. During the Food Safety Summit in Baltimore on Thursday, leadership from the Food and Drug Administration, Department of Agriculture, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and
Continue Reading Top Food Safety Officials Focused on Collaborating Over Combining Agencies

The Center for Public Integrity (CPI) published a lengthy investigative report on Tuesday summarizing the safety concerns associated with GRAS (generally recognized as safe) food additives, the controversies surrounding how they’re determined, and barriers to regulating them. The report’s key illustration of the concerns about GRAS was a peanut-related legume
Continue Reading Investigation of GRAS Highlights Allergy to Peanut-Related Lupin