FDA final rule lets makers swap salt substitutes into standardized foods

FDA on Oct. 9 issued a final rule permitting “safe and suitable” salt substitutes in foods whose federal standards of identity list salt as a required or optional ingredient. The rule amends 80 standards directly and, through cross-references, opens 139 in total, including bread, rolls and buns, self-rising flour and self-rising white corn meal, many cheeses, sour cream, mayonnaise, salad dressing and catsup. It names no specific substitutes, adds no new labeling requirements and is voluntary. The rule is scheduled to publish in the Federal Register Oct. 13 and takes effect 60 days after publication. Docket FDA-2022-N-2226.

New Jersey signs Fortifying Corn Masa Act; flour mandate joins California path

Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed S-4193/A-5119, the Fortifying Corn Masa Act, on Sep. 28, 2026. Bill text sets corn masa flour at 0.7 mg folic acid per pound within one year of the effective date (act takes effect immediately). Wet corn masa language is permissive: it may contain 0.4 mg/lb. Snack foods are exempt. Angle for masa mills, plants, and co-packers shipping into New Jersey: SKU, COA, and labeling readiness as another large-market mandate stacks on California (and Alabama per prior TN coverage).

AB 1830 labeling: what wet-masa corn tortilla plants need on the pack

California’s AB 1830 folic acid rule treats wet nixtamal masa differently from dry corn masa flour. Traditional wet-masa tortilla makers are not required to fortify, but they do need a clear wet-process declaration on labels—and plants that use masa harina must use fortified flour and update Nutrition Facts and ingredients.