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FDA must set limits on PFAS in food, claims a lawsuit by an environmental group in Tucson, Arizona

A lawsuit was filed by an environmental group in Tucson, Arizona, stating that the US regulators are failing to address concerns about toxic PFAS chemicals in foods despite having the scientific tools to do so, The New Ledge reported. The lawsuit was filed on Jan. 24 in the US District Court of Arizona, following the submission of a legal petition filed in November 2023 by the Tucson Environmental Justice Task Force that asked the FDA to establish limits for PFAS. The group wants the FDA to take action to remove products from grocery store shelves if PFAS residues are found at the minimum level of detection. The petition cites connections between seven types of PFAS and “serious life-threatening health effects,” including kidney and liver damage, cancer, neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and adverse reproductive effects. The FDA has been testing foods for PFAS contamination since 2019 but so far says it has found very little contamination. In an update of April 2024, the FDA said that exposure to PFAS at the levels it measured in the samples “is not likely to be a health concern for young children or the general population, based on evaluation of each PFAS for which there is a toxicological reference value. In 2023, the organization Alliance for Natural Health USA tested eight kale samples purchased from grocery stores in New York, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Arizona, finding PFAS in all but one sample. In 2024, the Consumer Reports tested 50 samples of whole milk from five states known to have PFAS contamination in their groundwater. They found two particularly harmful PFAS chemicals, PFOS and PFOA, in six samples. As the new Trump administration begins, it’s “anybody’s guess” whether or not the FDA will fulfill the petition’s request to set limits on PFAS in foods. @ https://www.thenewlede.org/2025/01/fda-must-set-limits-on-pfas-in-food-lawsuit-says/

 

 

FDA must set limits on PFAS in food, lawsuit says

By Shannon Kelleher US regulators are failing to address concerns about toxic PFAS chemicals in foods despite having the scientific tools to do so, according to a lawsuit filed by an environmental group in Tucson, Arizona. The lawsuit, filed on Jan. 24 in the US District Court for the District of Arizona, follows the submission of a legal petition filed in November 2023 by the Tucson Environmental Justice Task Force that asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to establish limits for certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) the agency has found in blueberries, lettuce, milk, salmon and other foods. The group wants the FDA to take action to remove products from grocery store shelves if PFAS residues are found at the minimum level of detection possible. “We’re asking to do something that they are required to do under the law, that they failed to do under the law,” said Sandra Daussin, attorney for the plaintiffs and a plaintiff herself. Under its own regulations, the FDA is required to respond to petitions within 180 days, but the agency failed to address the petition after more than a year, an “arbitrary and capricious” delay, the complaint alleges. PFAS are a class of thousands of chemicals used for decades across many industries. The chemicals have become ubiquitous in the environment, found in water, soil and the blood of animals and people around the globe. Many types of PFAS have been found to be health hazards, linked to disease and disability. The petition cites connections between seven types of PFAS and “serious life-threatening health effects,” including kidney and liver damage, cancer, neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and adverse reproductive effects. The petitioners argue that in August 2023 the FDA developed a validated method detecting up to 30 PFAS chemicals in foods, and thus has an obligation to use that knowledge to set enforceable limits. The group wants the FDA to adjust those limits to be lower if methodology improves to detect smaller concentrations. The FDA has been testing foods for PFAS contamination since 2019 but has found very little contamination.

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New York Wholesale Group Recalls Zaarah Herbals Shatavari Powder Because of elevated lead levels

The FDA reported that New York Wholesale Group (Hicksville, NY) recalled Zaarah Herbals Shatavari Powder because it has the potential to be contaminated with elevated levels of lead. Short term exposures to very low levels of lead may not elicit any symptoms. Increased blood lead levels may be the only apparent sign of lead exposure. Additional overt signs and symptoms of lead exposure are more likely with acute exposure to higher levels of lead. While lead can affect nearly every bodily system, its effects depend upon the amount and duration of lead exposure and age/ body weight. If a fetus is exposed to enough lead for a protracted period of time (e.g., weeks to months), permanent damage to the central nervous system may occur. The exposure can result in learning disorders, developmental defects, and other long-term health problems. For adults, chronic lead exposure is associated with kidney dysfunction, hypertension, increased risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease, and neurocognitive effects. Zaarah Herbals Shatavari Powder was distributed to retailers located in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut between 10/21/2022 and 04/15/2024. The product is packaged in clear 100g (3.5oz) jars with a gold lid. The name ZAARAH HERBALS SHATAVARI POWDER is prominently displayed on the front of the jar. The UPC is 63502899940. Product codes included in the recall are Batch No: SR 04 Mfd. Date: JULY/2022, which can be found on the back panel of the bottle. No illnesses have been reported to date. The recall is the result of an analysis conducted by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection; Food & Standards Division that revealed the product contained elevated levels of lead. @ https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/new-york-wholesale-group-recalls-zaarah-herbals-shatavari-powder-because-possible-health-risk

 

 

New York Wholesale Group of Hicksville, NY is recalling Zaarah Herbals Shatavari Powder, to the consumer/user level because it has the potential to be contaminated with elevated levels of lead. Short term exposures to very low levels of lead may not elicit any symptoms. It is possible that increase

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Blue Ridge Beef recalled Blue Ridge Beef Natural Mix due to Salmonella contamination

On January 31, 2025, the FDA reported that – Blue Ridge Beef (Statesville, NC) recalled 5,700 lbs. of their 2 lb log Natural Mix due to a contamination of Salmonella. Samples of the product were collected on 01/08/25 by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and tested by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture Food and Drug Protection Laboratory. The product tested positive for Salmonella. On 01/27/2025, the firm was notified by the FDA that the product tested positive for Salmonella. The product is packaged in clear plastic and sold primarily in retail stores in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York State, Tennessee, and Rhode Island. The products were distributed between January 3/2025, and January 24/2025. @ https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/blue-ridge-beef-issues-recall-blue-ridge-beef-natural-mix-due-salmonella-contamination

 

 

January 31, 2025– Blue Ridge Beef is recalling 5,700 lbs. of their 2 lb log Natural Mix due to a contamination of Salmonella. Lot # N25/12/31 (Lot numbers are stamped in the clips on the end of the chubs/bags) UPC# 854298001054.

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An outbreak of STEC Escherichia coli O103:H2 associated with unpasteurized soft cheese in England and Wales, 2022

A publication in Epidemiology and Infection 2025 Jan 22 (Heinsbroek et al., 2025 An outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli serotype O103:H2 associated with unpasteurized soft cheese, England and Wales, 2022. Epidemiol Infect. 2025 Jan 22;152:e172) reported that in July of 2022, a genetically linked and geographically dispersed cluster of 12 cases of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O103:H2 was detected by the UK Health Security Agency using WGS. A review of food history questionnaires identified cheese (particularly an unpasteurized brie-style cheese) and mixed salad leaves as potential vehicles. A case-control study was conducted to investigate exposure to these products. Case food history information was collected by telephone. Controls were recruited using a market research panel and self-completed an online questionnaire. Univariable and multivariable analyses were undertaken using Firth Logistic Regression. Eleven cases and 24 controls were included in the analysis. Consumption of the brie-style cheese of interest was associated with illness (OR 57.5, 95% confidence interval: 3.10-1,060). Concurrently, the production of the brie-style cheese was investigated. Microbiological sample results for the cheese products and implicated dairy herd did not identify the outbreak strain but did identify the presence of stx genes and STEC, respectively. Together, epidemiological, microbiological, and environmental investigations provided evidence that the brie-style cheese was the vehicle for this outbreak. @ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39840652/

 

 

An outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli serotype O103:H2 associated with unpasteurized soft cheese, England and Wales, 2022 - PubMed

In July 2022, a genetically linked and geographically dispersed cluster of 12 cases of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O103:H2 was detected by the UK Health Security Agency using whole genome sequencing. Review of food history questionnaires identified cheese (particularly an un …