EPA Announces PFAS Drinking Water Standard and Remediation Funding

By Food Safety Tech Staff

The EPA has issued a final rule to reduce exposure to harmful per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through drinking water. The final rule supports President Biden’s government-wide action plan to combat PFAS pollution.

EPA also announced nearly $1 billion in newly available funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help states and territories implement PFAS testing and treatment at public water systems and to help owners of private wells address PFAS contamination. An additional $12 billion is available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for general drinking water improvements, including addressing emerging contaminants like PFAS.

The rule sets limits for five individual PFAS: PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, and HFPO-DA (also known as “GenX Chemicals”). The rule also sets a limit for mixtures of any two or more of four PFAS: PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS, and “GenX chemicals.”

For PFOA and PFOS, EPA is setting a Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG), a non-enforceable health-based goal, at zero. This reflects the latest science showing that there is no level of exposure to these contaminants without risk of health impacts, including certain cancers.
EPA is setting enforceable Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) at 4.0 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, individually.
For PFNA, PFHxS, and “GenX Chemicals,” EPA is setting the MCLGs and MCLs at 10 parts per trillion.
EPA is also setting a limit for any mixture of two or more of the following PFAS: PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS, and “GenX Chemicals.” These limits are based on a Hazard Index that is calculated by dividing the concentration of each of the four PFAS compounds by its Health-Based Water Concentration (HBWC; 10 ppt for PFNA, 10 ppt for HFPO-DA (GenX), 9 ppt for PFHxS, and 2000 ppt for PFBS) and then adding the results together, with an MCL of 1.0.

“Drinking water contaminated with PFAS has plagued communities across this country for too long,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “That is why President Biden has made tackling PFAS a top priority, investing historic resources to address these harmful chemicals and protect communities nationwide. Our PFAS Strategic Roadmap marshals the full breadth of EPA’s authority and resources to protect people from these harmful forever chemicals. Today, I am proud to finalize this critical piece of our Roadmap, and in doing so, save thousands of lives and help ensure our children grow up healthier.”

“President Biden believes that everyone deserves access to clean, safe drinking water, and he is delivering on that promise,” said Brenda Mallory, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “The first national drinking water standards for PFAS marks a significant step towards delivering on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to advancing environmental justice, protecting communities, and securing clean water for people across the country.”

EPA estimates that between 6% and 10% of the 66,000 public drinking water systems subject to this rule may have to take action to reduce PFAS to meet these new standards. All public water systems have three years to complete their initial monitoring for these chemicals. They must inform the public of the level of PFAS measured in their drinking water. Where PFAS is found at levels that exceed these standards, systems must implement solutions to reduce PFAS in their drinking water within five years.

The EPA stated that the new limits in this rule are achievable using a range of available technologies and approaches including granular activated carbon, reverse osmosis, and ion exchange systems. Drinking water systems will have flexibility to determine the best solution for their community, and EPA will work with state co-regulators in supporting water systems and local officials to implement this rule.

In the coming weeks, EPA will host a series of webinars to provide information to the public, communities, and water utilities about the final PFAS drinking water regulation. To learn more about the webinars, visit EPA’s PFAS drinking water regulation webpage.

April 9, 2024

NSF Now Offering CA Prop 12 Certification

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Global public health and safety organization NSF is now offering California Proposition 12 (Prop 12) certification for American meat and egg distributors that are distributing products in the state of California. Prop 12 is an animal welfare law enacted by the state of California on January 1, 2024, that sets higher standards for confining certain farm animals.

In 2023, NSF also received approval from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to offer Prop 12 certification to British pork farmers in the UK as the only Red Tractor Certification Body for pork in the country.

“NSF recently conducted research that demonstrated that the ethical treatment of animals is now a fundamental concern for consumers, with nearly 70% of Americans saying that animal wellness plays an important role in purchasing decisions,” said Dr. Elaine Vanier, veterinarian and Animal Wellness Program Lead for NSF. “Receiving approval from the CDFA for both meat and egg distributors in America and pig farmers in the UK allows us to provide international support to the animal products industry while increasing access to safe and traceable meat and eggs across the U.S.”

Certification to Prop 12 involves an application process, onsite inspection and corrections of any deficiencies identified in the certification process. Upon certification, meat and egg distributors are approved to sell the certified products to suppliers and retailers in California.

“NSF’s Prop 12 certification means that American meat and egg distributors can now access the Californian market with greater confidence,” said Suzanne Barkley, Director of Food Supply Chain Certification at NSF. “This aligns perfectly with NSF’s mission to improve and protect human health, as healthier animals mean safer, higher quality products for consumers.”

April 9, 2024

House Oversight Committee to Hold Hearing with FDA Commissioner

By Food Safety Tech Staff

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The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability will hold a hearing on April 11, 2024, tiled “Oversight of the Food and Drug Administration.” The hearing will examine the Oversight Committee’s ongoing investigations into the FDA response to several issues, including the infant formula crisis and food safety, drug shortages, facility inspections, hemp regulation, regulation of tobacco and nicotine products, and over-the-counter decongestants.

“The Oversight Committee has highlighted several crises occurring on the FDA’s watch which have negatively impacted the lives and health of American people and families. From a botched response to a nationwide infant formula crisis, failure to regulate safe tobacco products, failure to prepare for and address critical drug shortages, and more, we have identified how dysfunction at the FDA could be worsening many of these preventable crises. We will hold the Commissioner accountable for what the FDA is doing to address ongoing crises, how they are conducting inspections to prevent nationwide crises in the future, and how they intend to ensure the FDA is first and foremost protecting American consumers,” said Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.).

The hearing will be livestreamed online on April 11 at 1:00pm ET.

Image: FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD

April 9, 2024

FDA Data Finds 3% of Imported Honey Adulterated

By Food Safety Tech Staff

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Recently published data from an FDA sampling assignment carried out in 2022 and 2023 to test imported honey for economically motivated adulteration (EMA) found that 3% of samples were adulterated. The sampling was designed to identify products that contained undeclared sweeteners that are less expensive than honey, such as syrups from cane and corn. This assignment follows a previous EMA in honey assignment in 2021-2022 and was intended to identify whether there continues to be issues with EMA for imported honey.

Between April 2022 and July 2023, the agency collected 107 samples of imported honey and found three samples (3%) to be violative. In 2021-2022, the agency collected and tested 144 imported honey samples, and found 10% of those samples to be violative. When a sample was found to be violative, the FDA refused entry of the product into the U.S. and placed the associated company and product on Import Alert (IA). The agency stated that it also continues to develop methods to further improve the detection of undeclared sweeteners in honey to protect consumers.

Additionally, the FDA continues to collaborate with its domestic and international regulatory partners to combat economically motivated adulteration of food products, including honey.

March 25, 2024

FDA To Host Virtual Meeting on Data and Tech in New Era of Smarter Food Safety

By Food Safety Tech Staff

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The FDA is hosting a one-day virtual public meeting on “Data and Technology in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety” on April 24, 2024, from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm EDT. The meeting is designed to help the agency improve its understanding of how regulators and industry can leverage data and technology to exponentially advance food safety and achieve better health outcomes.

The morning session of the public meeting will consist of presentations from FDA to explain the agency’s current thinking on the potential for new, innovative or different data and technology activities that could be leveraged by both government and industry to exponentially advance food safety. The afternoon session will be reserved for public comments to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to share feedback on how and where advances in data and technology can be leveraged to significantly accelerate FDA’s ability to improve public health outcomes. Beginning on April 24, 2024, a Regulations.gov docket will open for 60 days to collect comments related to the event topic.

Topics for consideration during the public meeting include:

Tech-enabled traceability
Predictive analytics
Data sharing
Whole genome sequencing (i.e., GenomeTrakr)
Ways to use technology to monitor and gather data

Technological innovation in equipment design, digital tools, and training methods

The FDA will also welcome feedback on new and emerging areas of innovation (e.g., use of virtual reality in food safety training) that were not addressed in the initial New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint.

Feedback received from this meeting, as well as comments submitted to the accompanying docket, will help the FDA prioritize its activities within the New Era of Smarter Food Safety framework and shape further stakeholder engagement opportunities.

There is no cost to attend the virtual public meeting, but registration is required. Participants who wish to speak during the afternoon public comment session must register as indicated on the meeting page.

March 17, 2024

Irrigation Water as a Tool To Reduce Pathogen Contamination

By Food Safety Tech Staff

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A new study is taking a different look at irrigation water. Rather than investigating the water as a potential source of contamination, Channah Rock, Ph.D., with the University of Arizona, is examining irrigation water’s role in reducing potential pathogens. The data collected will be used to create a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to gauge potential pathogens risks from treated water applied preharvest. “We’re really trying to capture new data that hasn’t been shared,” said Rock.

For the CPS-funded study, “Microbiological risk assessment using QMRA in preharvest agriculture water treatment systems for leafy greens,” Rock is working with co-investigators Charles Gerba, Ph.D., and Kerry Cooper, Ph.D., both with the University of Arizona, and Kerry Hamilton, Ph.D., with Arizona State University.

The researchers are using a non-pathogenic strain of E. coli as a surrogate, and inoculating plant tissue and soil with known microbial populations. After applying irrigation water treated with common sanitizers, such as peroxyacetic acid (PAA) or calcium hypochlorite, they sample plants and soil periodically to determine pathogen die-off over time. The work is being conducted in commercial-scale university fields of spinach and Romaine lettuce.

Based on preliminary data, Rock said they found irrigation water treatment does offer a potential spill-over benefit. “What we’re seeing is water treatment does, in fact, reduce bacteria on plant tissue, leaf surfaces and the soil,” she said. “But it seems to be very dependent on how that contamination entered the field.”

Because irrigation water sanitizer concentrations may not be consistent, the researchers also wanted to measure treatment variability or “breakthrough” in commercial produce fields. To achieve this, they combined traditional water grab-sampling techniques with real-time in-line sanitizer monitoring.

Based on this work, the researchers found that most of the breakthroughs occurred during irrigation sanitizer start-up and stabilization. They plan to conduct additional sampling to determine the full range of variability. In addition, they want to document critical time periods and durations of variability that may result in loss of efficacy due to reduced sanitizer residuals.

March 17, 2024

Vulto Creamery Owner Pleads Guilty in Connection with Raw Milk Listeria Outbreak

By Food Safety Tech Staff

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Johannes Vulto, a former raw milk cheese manufacturer and his company, Vulto Creamery LLC, pleaded guilty to charges related to cheese that was linked to a 2016-2017 outbreak of listeriosis, the U.S. Department of Justic announced earlier this month.

Vulto and Vulto Creamery LLC, each pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of causing the introduction of adulterated food into interstate commerce. Vulto oversaw operations at Vulto Creamery manufacturing facility in Walton, New York, including those relating to sanitation and environmental monitoring. In pleading guilty, Vulto and Vulto Creamery admitted that between December 2014 and March 2017, they caused the shipment in interstate commerce of adulterated cheese.

According to the plea agreement, environmental swabs taken at the Vulto Creamery facility between approximately July 2014 and February 2017 repeatedly tested positive for Listeria species. In March 2017, after the FDA linked Vulto Creamery’s cheese to an outbreak of listeriosis, Vulto shut down the Vulto Creamery facility and issued a partial recall that was expanded to a full recall within weeks. According to the CDC, the listeriosis outbreak resulted in eight hospitalizations and two deaths.

During a 2017 FDA inspection of the facility, the inspector noted that in the 20 months from 7/28/2014 through 2/19/ 2017, the facility’s records revealed that 54 out of 198 swabs taken from throughout the facility tested positive for Listeria spp. The report also cited several potential causes of the contamination including: storage of sanitized wood boards used to age cheese in the facility attic, where they were exposed to insulation, debris and moisture; failure to maintain building, fixtures and other physical facilities in a sanitary condition; and employees putting their bare hands and arms, up to their elbows, directly into the cheese making vat to manually break up cheese curds. “Although you washed your hands, neither of you washed your lower or upper arms,” the inspector wrote.

“It is crucial that American consumers be able to trust that the foods they buy are safe to eat,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to hold responsible food manufacturers that sell dangerously contaminated products.”

Vulto faces a maximum sentence of up to one year in prison, a term of supervised release up to one year and a fine up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for July 9, 2024.

March 12, 2024

SQFI Announces 2024 Excellence Awards Recipients

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EAGLE Certification Group’s Brad Rush and Vital Farm’s Robert Clark are the recipients of the 2024 SQF Excellence Awards, presented by the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI), a division of FMI – The Food Industry Association. The winners were announced this week at the 2024 SQF Unites conference in New Orleans. Rush was recognized with the Excellence in SQF Auditing Award while Clark received the Excellence in SQF Practitioner Leadership Award.

Excellence in Auditing

The Excellence in SQF Auditing award is presented to a credentialed SQF auditor who demonstrates exceptional performance and dedication to the SQF program through high-quality audits, professional development activities, leadership and mentorship skills, and promotion of food safety culture.

Brad Rush of EAGLE Certification Group

In honoring Rush, SQF stated that as lead auditor for EAGLE Certification Group, Rush stands out as a gold standard in auditing within the SQF program, embodying a rare blend of specialized knowledge, unwavering dedication, and genuine passion for fostering industry-wide advancement.

“Brad is passionate about cultivating the skills of emerging auditors and imparting knowledge about food safety and the auditing profession,” said Jessica Osborne, chief program officer at EAGLE Certification Group. “His exceptional expertise naturally positions him as a mentor to newcomers in the field.”

Excellence in Practitioner Leadership

The award for Excellence in SQF Practitioner Leadership is given to an SQF practitioner within an SQF-certified site who demonstrates extraordinary leadership and promotion of food safety at their workplace.

Clark is a quality assurance manager who leads a 21-person food safety and quality assurance team at Egg Central Station, Vital Farm’s egg washing and packing facility. He spearheads his team and delivers a variety of food safety, quality assurance, and continuous improvement projects and training throughout the year to ensure robustness in the SQF program.

“Robert is truly a trailblazer for food safety culture, and it is evident to everybody who has the joy of working with and for him,” said Liang Bennett, senior manager, co-manufacturing quality at Vital Farms. “His ability to engage his audience and get them to understand the reasoning behind why we have to follow food safety protocols and rules is fascinating to watch.”

March 11, 2024

FDA Highlights Steps Taken to Ensure Safety of Cinnamon Products

By Food Safety Tech Staff

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The FDA has announced several additional steps it is taking to address concerns about elevated lead levels. Last week, the agency sent a letter to all cinnamon manufacturers, processors, distributors and facility operators in the U.S., reminding them of the requirement to implement controls to prevent contamination from potential chemical hazards in food, including ground cinnamon products. The agency is also recommending the voluntary recall of certain ground cinnamon products (see below) sold by a number of brands at six different retail chains that were found to contain elevated levels of lead.

The FDA is advising consumers to throw away and not to buy the ground cinnamon products with the lot codes listed below because samples of these products were found to contain elevated levels of lead as it is works with the firms listed to voluntarily recall the products, with the exception of the MTCI cinnamon. The FDA has been unable to reach MTCI to share its findings and request that the company initiate a recall.

Ground Cinnamon Distributor	Ground Cinnamon Retailer(s)	Ground Cinnamon Lot Code(s)
La Fiesta Food Products La Miranda, CA	La Superior SuperMercados	25033
Marcum, Moran Foods, LLC Saint Ann, MO	Save A Lot	Best By: 10/16/25 10 DB; 04/06/25 0400B1
MTCI Santa Fe Springs, CA	SF Supermarket	No codes
SWAD, Raja Foods LLC Skokie, IL	Patel Brothers	KX21223 Best Before: July 2026
Supreme Tradition, Greenbriar International, Inc. Chesapeake, VA	Dollar Tree Family Dollar	Best By: 09/29/25 09E8; 04/17/25 04E11; 12/19/25 12C2; 04/12/25 04ECB12; 08/24/25 08A_ _; 04/21/25 04E5; and 2025-09-22 09E20
El Chilar Apopka, FL	La Joya Morelense, Baltimore, MD	F275EX1026; D300EX1024

The FDA emphasized that the lead levels found in the ground cinnamon products listed above are significantly lower than lead levels in cinnamon in the recalled apple sauce pouches removed from the market this past fall. The products currently recommended for recall contain lead levels ranging from 2.03 to 3.4 parts per million (ppm) lead. This is approximately 2,000 ppm to nearly 5,000 ppm lower than the levels of lead associated with the cinnamon in recalled apple puree and apple sauce products. Therefore, these ground cinnamon products do not pose the same level of risk to human health as the apple sauce pouches but could be unsafe for prolonged use.

“Today’s actions serve as a signal to industry that more needs to be done to prevent elevated levels of contaminants from entering our food supply,” said Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones. “Food growers, manufacturers, importers, and retailers share a responsibility for ensuring the safety of the foods that reach store shelves. The levels of lead we found in some ground cinnamon products are too high and we must do better to protect those most vulnerable to the negative health outcomes of exposure to elevated levels of lead.”

The FDA reminds manufacturers, processors, distributors, and facility operators to follow the requirements of the rule Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food, including the requirement to consider chemical hazards that may be present in foods when conducting hazard analyses required by this rule. While the agency continues to emphasize the importance of the cinnamon industry’s responsibility to take measures to prevent potential chemical hazards in its products, the letter to industry and recent recalls highlight how the FDA will request the removal of unsafe cinnamon products from the market.

As part of its Closer to Zero initiative, the FDA continues to pursue additional authorities from Congress to require manufacturers to test ingredients or final products marketed for consumption by infants and young children for contaminants before products enter the U.S. market. Under current federal law, there is no explicit requirement for manufacturers to conduct such testing. The President’s FY2024 Budget contains legislative proposals to explicitly require industry to conduct this testing, maintain testing results for FDA inspection and provide the FDA remote access to test results.

March 5, 2024

FDA Issues Final Guidance on New Dietary Ingredient Notification Procedures

By Food Safety Tech Staff

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On March 5, the FDA issued the final guidance “Dietary Supplements: New Dietary Ingredient Notification Procedures and Timeframes: Guidance for Industry.”

Under section 413(a)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) (21 U.S.C. 350b(a)(2)), the manufacturer or distributor of a new dietary ingredient (NDI) that has not been present in the food supply as an article used for food, or of a dietary supplement that contains the NDI, must submit a premarket safety notification to FDA at least 75 days before introducing the product into interstate commerce. The new guidance is intended to help manufacturers and distributors of NDIs and dietary supplements prepare and submit new dietary ingredient notifications (NDINs) to the FDA.

The guidance provides information about the NDIN submission and review process in a Q&A format. Topics include:

Who needs to submit an NDIN?
How should the information be organized and presented?
Where should an NDIN be submitted?
What happens after an NDIN is submitted?

Download the final guidance here.

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