Reagan-Udall Foundation publishes independent evaluation of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) human foods program; provides 32 recommendations concerning agency culture, structure, resources, and authorities
Proposals for change from inside and outside the US FDA
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposes structural changes within the institution in response to recent critique; includes increased focus on nutrition, partnerships with other regulatory authorities and incorporating outside advisors; Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) publishes report on obesogens; encourages FDA to ‘incorporate framework’ to identify obesogens and other endocrine disruptors when reviewing chemical safety
Petition calls for US FDA to consider cumulative effects
Coalition requests US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to follow its own mandate to consider cumulative effects of chemicals present during safety assessments; covers chemicals directly added to food, substances migrating from food packaging, substances generally recognized as safe (GRAS); finds only 1 of 877 existing GRAS notifications adhered to requirement
FDA denies citizen petition to ban phthalates in food contact materials
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejects two citizen petitions from 2016 asking it to remove 28 phthalates from food contact use for safety reasons; grants industry petition to remove 23 phthalates due to abandonment; FDA issues request for information on use and safety information of remaining phthalates; comments accepted until July 19, 2022
Court rules FDA perchlorate exemption allowed
US federal court sides with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the use of perchlorate in food packaging; FDA’s 2017 denial of a citizen petition to regulate perchlorate in plastic food packaging “was neither arbitrary nor capricious… and did not violate the Food Act”
Testing for developmental neurotoxicity
Special issue of Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology features 18 articles discussing alternative (non-animal) methods for assessing chemicals’ potential to harm neurodevelopment in children
FDA accused of ‘willful ignorance’ regarding BPA
U.S. NGO Environmental Health News criticizes FDA’s approaches to designing and performing CLARITY-BPA study, interpreting its results; presents results of own investigation suggesting intentional manipulation, potential industry influence
Perchlorate: NGOs vs. FDA
Consortium of U.S. NGOs file lawsuit against FDA for failure to act on perchlorate petition; developmental exposure to perchlorate linked to brain deficiencies
Phthalates: FDA considers ban
Group of 10 NGOs file food additive petition to U.S. FDA, requesting banning of 30 ortho-phthalates used as indirect food additives; FDA agrees to reconsider safety decisions
FDA called on to clarify its PFAS statements
Environmental Defense Fund questions U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s statements that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) not a concern in foods, requests details about analytical and risk assessment methodology to help fill “critical gaps” in FDA statements