This Week at the Food & Drug Administration — week of July 20, 2026

The FDA this week finalized rules for several types of medical devices, updated food-labeling standards for orange juice, and proposed removing an unused dye rule. The actions that most affect everyday people are the new regulatory classifications for home COVID-19 tests, diabetes management software, and a test for chronic kidney disease progression.

Medical device classifications

• Over-the-counter COVID-19 tests were formally classified as Class II medical devices. This sets the regulatory category for home COVID-19 tests, ensuring they meet specific safety standards before reaching consumers.
• Diabetes digital behavioral therapeutic devices — digital tools, likely apps or software, that help people manage diabetes through behavior changes — were classified as Class II. This gives developers a predictable regulatory path.
• A test used to predict chronic kidney disease progression was classified as Class II. This sets standard rules for how companies can market and sell these tests.
• Intraoperative surgical angle measurement tools — used by surgeons during operations to measure angles — were classified as Class II. This establishes clear regulatory requirements for how the tools are reviewed and sold.

Food labeling and color additives

• Pasteurized orange juice standards were updated. The FDA changed the legal definition of what can be labeled as pasteurized orange juice, likely making it easier for producers to use different citrus blends while still meeting legal standards.
• An unused color additive rule was revoked. The FDA removed a regulation that allowed Orange B to color the surfaces or casings of sausages and frankfurters. This is an administrative cleanup.
• The FDA proposed revoking a rule for Citrus Red No. 2, a color additive currently allowed on the skins of mature oranges. The proposal is also an administrative cleanup intended to remove an obsolete rule.

Animal feed petition

• A company petitioned to allow ethyl cellulose in ruminant feed. Evonik Corporation asked the FDA to permit ethyl cellulose as a binder and coating for amino acids in feed for ruminant animals such as cows, sheep, and goats. The impact is limited to companies producing or using these specific additives.

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This weekly agency digest is generated from federal records (the Federal Register and Congress.gov) and summarized in plain English. It may simplify or omit detail — follow the linked official sources before relying on any item. Part of The Boring Parts.