The FDA just announced a significant shift in how it conducts facility oversight. If you’re a food or beverage manufacturer or copacker, it’s worth paying attention. On May 6, 2026, the agency announced a pilot program for one-day inspectional assessments—shorter, focused screening visits designed to complement, not replace, traditional FDA inspections. The pilot launched in … Read more
If the first takeaway from the evolving GRAS landscape is awareness, the second is action. Because the reality is this: most food and beverage companies are not operationally set up to respond to rapid ingredient disruption. And with increased scrutiny from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, state regulators, retailers, and MAHA-driven policy shifts, “wait … Read more
For decades, “GRAS” — Generally Recognized as Safe — has functioned as a quiet cornerstone of food formulation. If an ingredient was GRAS, it was widely assumed to be acceptable for use without much additional scrutiny. For many brands, that assumption became operational shorthand: GRAS meant green light. That era is shifting. With the emergence … Read more
As 2025 closed, regulatory activity around food ingredients and additives continued to accelerate—but not through sweeping bans or headline-grabbing federal rules. Instead, change is emerging through layered oversight, procedural tightening, and targeted pressure points that will influence decisions on formulation, labeling, and documentation throughout 2026. The core takeaway: Ingredient compliance in 2026 will be defined … Read more
Practical steps to protect your brand when oversight slows down Editor’s note (updated November 18, 2025): The federal government has now reopened following the 2025 shutdown. While FDA and USDA FSIS have returned to full operations, the shutdown underscored how quickly recall coordination and public-facing updates can slow down during funding lapses. We’ve made minor … Read more