Amid a deluge of executive actions, the Trump administration has asked federal health agencies to pause external communications, such as regular scientific reports, updates to websites and health advisories,

The FDA is the leading science-based consumer protection agency in the world. Three former senior officials write about what they hope the Trump administration doesn’t change.

More than a dozen cats have been killed or sickened by bird flu that is spreading in raw food products, the Food and Drug Administration says, prompting a federal probe into how the virus got into the pet food supply chain.

With the recent news that the Food and Drug Administration is banning Red No. 3, the artificial dye that is considered a potential carcinogen, some experts are saying it could be the start of a much larger trend to remove any number of additives from some of our favorite foods and drinks.

The US Food and Drug Administration is proposing limits on the level of nicotine in cigarettes and some other types of tobacco products, such as cigars and pipe tobacco, in order to make them less addictive,

Red No. 3, also known as erythrosine, is a color additive made from petroleum that gives foods and drinks a bright, cherry-red color.

The rescinded order directed Medicare and Medicaid to test ways to lower drug costs for enrollees. Those tests hadn’t started, so current drug prices are unaffected.

The colorant was banned from cosmetics and non-oral medications decades ago because a study showed it caused cancer when eaten by rats. But it kept appearing on the ingredient lists of popular snack foods and other grocery products because it remained approved for use until now.

Steak ‘n Shake recently announced that all of its locations will begin using beef tallow by the end of February.

While it caused cancer in these male rats, the dye does not cause cancer in humans and other animals in the same way, according to other studies. Therefore, “claims that the use of FD&C Red No. 3 in food and in ingested drugs puts people at risk are not supported by the available scientific information,” according to the FDA.

The exclusion of coconut as a major food allergen eases trade barriers for coconut-based products in the US market, according to the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA). This, after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed coconut from the list of tree nuts under its revised allergen labeling guidance.