Source: Library of Congress What do you call a frozen dessert where the following ingredients are blended together: Water Ice, of course — at least according to FDA regulations, 21 C.F.R. 135.160. This less famous food standard, reaches far back with FDA starting the process to write the regulation in late 1941, along with the…
Tag: FDA
FDA’s 2024 To Do List: Food Labeling and Standards
A new year comes with resolutions and to-do lists. In that spirit, let’s see what FDA is working on for food labeling and food standard: Topic Additional Details Estimated Date Labeling of Plant-Based Alternatives to Animal-Derived Foods; Draft Guidance for Industry Presumably this will similar to the draft guidance for Plant-Based Milk Alternatives (issued February…
Characterizing Flavors & Lemon Pudding
The characterizing flavor regulation turned 50 this year (2023)! FDA originally believed that this regulation be simple to apply and used lemon pudding with natural flavors to explain the different qualifiers. Alas if FDA could quote the 2000s film Hitch “I saw that going differently in my mind” because in practice this regulation is “so…
Show-&-Tell: FDA at the Port
In 1974, FDA added 14 mobile laboratories, which allowed the Agency to inspect imported foods at the dock. The law gives FDA the authority to examine imported food (and any other FDA commodity) to verify its compliance. If FDA concludes the product appears non-compliant, then FDA shall refuse its importation. This fundamental legal authority has remained…
Food Fraud: Apple Cider Vinegar
Vinegar is a ubiquitous food that consists of acetic acid, water, and other constituent sub-ingredients (depending on the source material). The forms are numerous: white, balsamic, malt, and apple cider. This common, and relatively inexpensive product, was a common source of food fraud and help lead to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug…
When Cracker Jack had to Throw out the Toy …
Cracker Jack is a beloved staple of baseball games with their combination of caramel covered popcorn and peanuts, and a toy! The simple toy is perhaps the defining characteristic and still is to this day. Yet, this toy once caused FDA to condemn Cracker Jack. Storytime Starting 1912 Cracker Jack consisted of three items: caramel covered popcorn and…
FDA Storytime 