Food safety is top of mind for consumers, and regulations are striving to assuage those concerns.

The FDA is implementing the most sweeping reforms of the nation’s food safety rules in over 70 years, which has led to an influx of comments from the industry and the public. Through mid-January, FDA had already received 614 comments on various aspects of the proposed regulations, according to The Food Institute.

There’s no doubt regulatory agencies have ramped up the level of scrutiny given to food and beverage companies in the U.S. over the last several years. In 2011, the number of inspections by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) increased dramatically as the agency sought to determine whether industry companies were in compliance with Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs).

While the FDA continues to hem and haw on a standard for gluten-free, new products touting their lack continue to come to market.

People over 40 years old may want to avoid black licorice, per the FDA

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has been a hot topic in the last few years. In the following Q&A, the Corn Refiners Association answers questions on HFCS, in regards to weight management, consumer perception and the fructose in HFCS.

Five more individual sugar companies and two trade associations have joined a lawsuit to stop the corn processors from marketing high-fructose corn syrup as a "natural" product equivalent to real sugar.

Challenging conventional wisdom that most people want smaller government and less expensive food, a U.S. survey indicates most would pay more for safer food.

Eye-catching colors and flavors attract kids, but nutrition attracts moms, when it comes to foods and beverages for children. Beyond this tug-of-war between parent and child, however, product developers also must be keenly aware of governmental programs, regulatory scrutiny and consumer advocacy groups focusing on foods for kids.

Federal regulators have issued two new rules expanding the government’s ability to seize products it considers dangerous and to prevent potentially contaminated food from entering the country.