On January 12, FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) released two press announcements regarding the Agency’s continued effort in addressing heavy metals in foods pursuant to its Closer to Zero Action Plan.  As we have previously blogged, the Closer to Zero Action plan is FDA’s ongoing, multi-phase evaluation of toxic elements present in foods commonly eaten by babies and young children.  FDA’s goal is to make meaningful reductions in exposure to arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury from foods through research, setting action levels, and increasing targeted compliance and enforcement activities.

First, FDA announced that it will be co-hosting a virtual workshop, “Bridging The Biological And Communication Sciences On Nutrients And Environmental Contaminants In Foods To Support Child Development,” with the National Institute of Health on research in risk communication, environmental contaminants in food, and the role of nutrition in child development.  The workshop will take place on February 9-10, 2023, from 10:30 EST – 4:30 PM EST.  The description of the event provides that the workshop will cover a “wide range” of nutrition and toxicology topics, including the following:

• Challenges in children consuming adequate nutrients and the role of exposure to environmental contaminants from foods.

• The important role of nutrients from different foods groups in child development and helping to protect children from the health effects associated with exposure to contaminants.

• Research opportunities in food, nutrients, and the effects of environmental exposure.

• Federal agencies’ current and future risk communications.

Registration to the workshop is currently available and will close on February 10, 2023.

Second, FDA announced that the National Academies Committee is hosting its first public information-gathering session on January 19, 2023, in furtherance of its study “The Role of Seafood Consumption in Child Growth and Development.”  As we have previously blogged, FDA, National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), and EPA have partnered to conduct the study which is focused on assessing the current evidence in nutrition and toxicology associations between seafood consumption and child growth and development with a particular emphasis on mercury in seafood varieties.

The session is scheduled to be webcast on January 19, 2023, from 2:00 PM EST – 3:15 PM EST.