U.S. Courts News Reporter
The FDA is delaying enforcement of the Food Traceability Rule, which has been in the works for 14 years, by another 30 months.
In an announcement on March 20, the Food and Drug Administration said it intends to publish a proposed rule “at a later time.” The rule has already been published and approved and was set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2026. The rule was mandated by the Food Safety Modernization Act, which Congress approved in 2010.
The … Read the rest
— OPINION —
The Department of Government Efficiency has cut staff at the Food Administration, including empoyees in food safety roles.
Following the cuts, Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones resigned his post citing the cuts as being indiscriminate and endangering the lives of the American public.
Before the layoffs, the FDA had 18,000 employees across all 50 states. That number includes staff responsible for reporting on food recalls and the investigation of foodborne illness outbreaks.
Today we hear … Read the rest
After a meeting with representatives from some of the country’s mega food producers, the Secretary of Health and Human Services said he focused on food safety.
However, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly did not bring foodborne pathogens or traceability of foods to the table.
The meeting on Monday, March 10, included representatives from Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Tyson Foods, WK Kellogg Co., The J.M. Smucker Company and PepsiCo, along with the Consumer Brands Association.
“Great discussion today … advancing food safety and radical transparency to … Read the rest
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has expressed concern about the ability of local authorities to meet inspection targets and the impact this could have on standards.
Comments were made in written evidence submitted as part of an inquiry looking at whether the local government finance system in England is fit for purpose.
The FSA said it is concerned that local food teams do not have sustainable funding to deliver official controls in line with what the current regulatory regime requires. … Read the rest
— OPINION —
The cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services today make a mockery of the “Make America Healthy Again” slogan by arbitrarily decimating new staff in key public health agencies who might actually implement the slogan.
The firings impact staff across HHS and affect thousands of people on “probationary” status.
The mass firings will undermine the work of two of the agencies that solve and prevent foodborne outbreaks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the … Read the rest
— OPINION —
The toxic baby food crisis is not just a failure in public health. It is a defining moral challenge for an industry entrusted with the most sacred responsibility: nourishing our children.
For years, warnings about heavy metals like lead, arsenic, and cadmium, coupled with pathogens such as Cronobacter sakazakii, have sounded loudly, only to be met with insufficient action. The public’s trust has been steadily undermined by corporate inertia and regulatory gaps that prioritize short-term profits over long-term … Read the rest
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) in Hong Kong is investigating reports of food poisoning involving passengers on flights from Nepal.
A total of 36 people have fallen ill on two Cathay Pacific flights from Kathmandu to Hong Kong.
The first cluster of patients developed food poisoning symptoms, including vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, and fever, about 10 to 30 minutes after having meals served on a flight on Jan. 8.
After speaking with people on an exchange trip to Nepal, … Read the rest
“Over the last few months, we have seen a stunning number of outbreaks, and I know because I have been doing this work since the 1993 Jack-in-the-Box E. coli Outbreak,” said William “Bill” Marler. “From Salmonella, Listeria and E. coli and foods as varied as cucumbers, deli meat, chicken, carrots, hamburger, onions, lettuce and eggs, it seems that out food safety net is fraying at best and broken at worst, and we are not even talking about the countless … Read the rest