In June 2025, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a major update to its General Food Labeling Requirements Compliance Program—the first overhaul of this program since 2010. This program guides FDA inspectors in evaluating food labels during both domestic and import inspections. The update, now titled “General Food Labeling Requirements and Labeling-Related Sample Analysis – Domestic and Import,” reflects current regulations, inspection priorities, and enforcement guidance.
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On June 18, 2025, FDA announced for public comment a Post-market Assessment Prioritization Tool (Prioritization Tool) as an enhanced systematic process for post-market scientific assessment of chemicals in food, including food additives, color additives, GRAS ingredients, and food contact substances. The announcement is the agency’s latest step in its effort to modernize the framework for identifying and prioritizing substances in food for review based on public health concerns. FDA is soliciting public comment on the Prioritization Tool.
The US Food and Drug Administration recently announced a major initiative to strengthen oversight of food additives and other food-related chemicals. The agency described this as a “stronger, more systematic review process” for chemicals already on the market. Under this program, FDA will proactively reevaluate existing ingredients, including ingredients generally recognized as safe (GRAS), food contact substances, additives, and contaminants.
Both state and federal government authorities have recently turned their attention toward artificial coloring in foods. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a series of measures in April 2025 to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from food, including initiating the process to revoke authorization for Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B and working with industry to remove six other synthetic food dyes from the food supply. This follows FDA’s January 2025 order revoking authorization for manufacturers to use Red Dye 3 in food and ingested drugs after studies confirmed that the dye causes cancer in male rats.
Only weeks after being confirmed, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary has advised food companies to remove artificial colors from their food products.
On October 1, 2024, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the implementation of its long-promised reorganization, with the establishment of the unified Human Foods Program (HFP). The HFP now oversees all FDA activities related to food safety and nutrition, organized in a single group working under the Deputy Commissioner of Human Foods.
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on August 2, 2024 that their long-standing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) governing the development and review of definitions of animal feed ingredients will not be renewed once it expires on October 1, 2024. FDA described AAFCO and its relationship as “evolving” rather than “ending” and noted in a Letter to Stakeholders that FDA will continue to work closely with AAFCO and state authorities “to help ensure the safety of the animal food supply.”
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued final guidance titled Foods Derived from Plants Produced Using Genome Editing (Genome-Edited Plants Guidance), describing the agency’s approach for evaluating the safety of foods derived from genome-edited plant varieties. The Genome-Edited Plants Guidance also describes two voluntary processes for developers to inform and engage with FDA regarding the steps taken to ensure the safety of foods from their genome-edited plant varieties.
Rising alarm over microplastics as pollutants has sparked significant attention, stirring public concern and regulatory scrutiny. While there is both a lack of standardized methods for measuring microplastics and no scientific consensus about their potential health impacts, manufacturers are facing a surge of lawsuits asserting consumer protection claims based on the purported presence of microplastics in bottled water, and questions remain about the approach state and federal regulatory agencies might take to address the widespread use of plastic products in food production and storage.