It gets repeated as an article of faith: The generally recognized as safe (GRAS) exception to the definition of “food additive” in section 201(s) of the FD&C Act was intended to encompass only common food ingredients such as vinegar and salt. Not so fast. Just a …
Actually, it is. No sooner had FDA flagged its intent to maybe eventually hammer out a federal definition of ultra-processed foods than California leapfrogged ahead with the Real Food, Healthy Kids Act (a/k/a AB 1264). The Act had strong bipartisan support, so it was no …
News coverage of the citizen petition submitted by Dr. David Kessler has been somewhat breathless, so it was nice to read the document first hand when it was posted yesterday in the docket at regulations.gov – and you should do the same. Spoiler alert! In …
Among other things, EO 14212 established the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission (with HHS Secretary Kennedy as its Chair) and tasked it with a tall order: submission to the President of an Assessment that tackled 10(!) complex public health issues within 100(!) days. Perhaps …
That’s a play on an old acronym, in service of a point. A few weeks ago, HHS released a press release stating that FDA had been directed “to explore potential rulemaking to revise its Substances Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Final Rule and related guidance …
On March 18, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched a significant initiative called Operation Stork Speed to bolster the availability and safety of infant formula in the United States (link, link). This initiative …
Our good friends Virginia and West Virginia have become the first states in the nation to restrict the availability of foods containing certain synthetic colors (or in FDA parlance, certain colors subject to certification). You can read more about the particulars here and here. Although …
Among the more interesting developments in the recent election was the emergence of Robert Kennedy as a prominent figure in the MAGA movement – and the collateral emergence of the MAHA movement (Make America Healthy Again). As crisply laid out in short YouTube video, MAHA …
In a dense, multi-part opinion, the Supreme Court affirmed 5-4 the lower courts’ dismissal of a challenge to California’s Proposition 12. That law bans the knowing sale of eggs, uncooked pork, or veal derived from farm animals that are housed under conditions that do not …
On Dec. 20, 2022, FTC announced the publication of its Health Products Compliance Guidance (“new Guidance”). FTC staff prepared the new Guidance to update and replace Dietary Supplements: An Advertising Guide for Industry, issued in 1998 (“1998 Guidance”). The new Guidance provides the first update …
FDA announced that it has completed the first pre-market consultation for an animal cell-cultured food, based on a safety assessment submitted by UPSIDE Foods. In an indication of the significance of this development, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf and CFSAN Director Susan Mayne issued a statement …
The question of whether FDA has authority to take pictures during an inspection of a facility has bounced around the food and drug bar for many years. FDA’s view is stated in the agency’s Investigation Operations Manual, and it is one with which a number …
As one of several means to alleviate the ongoing shortage of infant formula in the U.S., earlier this week FDA issued a guidance document that outlines the factors FDA will consider in deciding whether to allow the distribution of an infant formula that does not …
As readers of our blog know, FDA and the Food Safety Inspection Service of the USDA (FSIS) agreed to jointly oversee the production of human food products using animal cell culture technology. Under the Memorandum of Understanding signed in March 2019, FDA will oversee cell …
While some of us are just starting to recover from graduations, ends of fiscal years, or just looking forward to a summer vacation and listening to the Rolling Stones, time is decidedly not on your side if you have not yet determined if your food …
