Topics
food
July 11, 2025
Environmental Defense Fund outlines reasons for the presence of unreviewed and unsafe ingredients in US food products; recommends Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revoke unsafe ingredient designations, enforce use of publicly available safety data, require strengthened safety assessments, and data revision to better protect the health of American consumers
Topics: food, regulation
Reading time: 2 minutes
March 6, 2025
Article published in Communications Earth & Environment explores plastics in food systems as a major driver of plastic and chemical pollution; calls for this to be reflected across food systems discussions, greater monitoring efforts and interdisciplinary research to close knowledge gaps; harmonized and whole system approach needed to avoid unintended consequences of future policies; next UN-led negotiations for a global plastics treaty in August 2025 present a key opportunity to address this issue
Reading time: 2 minutes
February 5, 2025
Scientists evaluate ultra-processed foods in terms of availability, consumer choice, and regulatory responses; database provides processing degree of foods available in major US grocery stores; effortlessness, affordability, and food marketing make consumers choose ultra-processed and unhealthy foods; current regulatory interventions aim for behavioral change rather than food system transformation
Topics: consumer survey, food
Reading time: 3 minutes
March 17, 2023
Researchers from the University of Notre Dame detect PFAS & PFCAs in food stored in fluorinated high-density polyethylene (HDPE) containers for one week; authors recommend regulations on food contact uses
Reading time: 1 minute
August 16, 2022
Scientists establish organophosphate esters (OPEs) baseline concentration in foodstuff across China and investigate the contamination sources; report extensive contamination of Chinese foodstuff with OPEs; uncover food packaging as source of these OPEs
Reading time: 3 minutes
May 19, 2022
Peer-reviewed study and freely available interactive tool provides systematic overview of food contact chemicals measured in migrates and extracts of food contact materials and articles
Reading time: 3 minutes
April 5, 2022
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) presentations provide guidance on small particles in food and feed applications (i) evaluating the potential presence of particles in ‘conventional’ materials and (ii) how to perform nano-specific risk assessment; stakeholders share experience and discuss practices to implement guidance cost-effectively
Reading time: 5 minutes
December 23, 2021
Scientists review 68 corporate sustainability reports of major food and beverage companies on plastic pollution and packaging; find most reports do not address plastic pollution and focus on end-of-life options instead of sustainable packaging solutions
Reading time: 2 minutes
October 11, 2021
Four scientific articles report on phthalate exposure sources and impacts; diet partly explains urinary phthalate levels in adolescents and children surveyed in the US and New Zealand; review of reviews summarizes human health impacts; finds studies on women “generally underrepresented”; study indicates three phthalates affect human oral health
Reading time: 5 minutes
October 5, 2021
Scientists summarize literature on chemicals in can-packaged food including metals, plastic-associated chemicals, and furans; report generally low contaminant levels but a lack of non-targeted and suspect screenings; find canning steps, internal and external factors to influence contaminant levels
Reading time: 3 minutes
