food safety News

Health Officials Seek to Phase Out Artificial Dyes From the Food Supply

U.S. health officials say they will urge foodmakers to phase out petroleum-based artificial colors in the nation’s food supply, but stopped short of promising a formal ban and offered few specifics on how they intended to achieve the sweeping change. …

FDA Suspends Food Safety Quality Checks After Staff Cuts

The Food and Drug Administration is suspending a quality control program for its food testing laboratories as a result of staff cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services, according to an internal email seen by Reuters. The proficiency …

Several Companies Must Face Lawsuit Over Tainted Baby Food, Judge Rules

A U.S. judge said several companies including Walmart, Beech-Nut and Gerber must face a nationwide lawsuit claiming that toxic heavy metals contaminated their baby food, causing brain and neurodevelopmental damage to children who ate it. In a decision on Wednesday, …

FDA Announces Plan to Strengthen Infant Formula Supply, Quality

U.S. health agencies announced on Tuesday a set of actions and initiatives to ensure the quality, safety, nutritional adequacy and resilience of domestic infant formula supply. The Food and Drug Administration outlined a set of plans named “Operation Stork Speed,” …

Girl Scouts Sued Over Alleged Metals, Pesticides in Thin Mints, Other Cookies

The Girl Scouts have been sued by consumers over the alleged presence of “heavy metals” and pesticides in its popular Thin Mints and other cookies. A proposed class action was filed on Monday night in the Brooklyn, New York federal …

US Will Spend Up to $1 Billion to Combat Bird Flu, USDA Says

The U.S. will invest up to $1 billion to combat the spread of bird flu, as well as increase imports of eggs in an effort to drive down high prices, agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins said on Wednesday. A three-year bird …

Lawsuit Accuses Major Food Companies of Marketing ‘Addictive’ Food to Kids

Major food companies, including Kraft Heinz, Mondelez and Coca-Cola, were hit with a new lawsuit in the U.S. on Tuesday accusing them of designing and marketing “ultra-processed” foods to be addictive to children, causing chronic disease. The lawsuit was filed …

US Issues Order Mandating Bird Flu Testing of Milk Supply

The U.S. issued a federal order on Friday mandating that the national milk supply be tested for bird flu, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told Reuters, as authorities seek to grapple with rapid spread of the virus among dairy herds. Bird …

E. Coli Outbreak Tied to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders Has Ended, CDC Says

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday that the E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers is over and the investigation has been closed. As of Dec. 3, the CDC said 104 people have …

General Mills to Engage Regulators on Food Dyes Targeted by RFK Jr.

General Mills Inc. is planning to engage federal officials over potential restrictions on food dyes that it uses in some of its cereals, as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services, calls …