It’s Tuesday, November 4, 2025. Today’s newsletter spotlights key developments shaping global food safety — from a new chapter for Mindy Brashears at USDA to missed federal deadlines, toxic supplements, and emerging international concerns over trade and standards.
If confirmed to again serve as USDA’s Under Secretary for Food Safety, Mindy Brashears said she will enter the job as she left it — as a scientist with her integrity intact.
Among the problems the shutdown of the federal government is causing is a delay in the publication of new dietary guidelines designed to keep the public safe and healthy.
The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services had said they would publish the guidelines by the end of September, which marked the end of the federal fiscal year.
Innovations in the lab and digital technologies such as artificial intelligence are transforming the detection, tracking, and response to food safety threats, according to scientists.
The European Union has revised a trade agreement with Ukraine, but concerns have been raised around the country’s ability to meet EU food standards.
An update to the EU–Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) entered into force in late October.
The FDA and CDC have been investigating supplements that have tested positive for poisonous yellow oleander.
As of Nov. 3, the Food and Drug Administration has identified 26 products with the substance, which is sometimes identified as tejocote root, Crataegus mexicana, Raiz de Tejocote, and Mexican Hawthorn.
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Thank you for reading Food Safety News Daily. We’ll see you tomorrow with more updates and insights from around the globe.
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