Food & Nutrition

Senator Bernie Sanders Requests FDA Require Warning Labels on Food Products

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf urging FDA to require strong, evidence-based warning labels on food products high in salt, sugar, and fat. In the letter, Sanders underscores the success of global initiatives in countries like Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, and Peru, which have implemented front-of-package (FOP) nutrient warning labels and urges the adoption of similar warning labels and disclosures in the U.S. The HELP Committee intends to hold a hearing to discuss how FDA can address these concerns as the agency continues to work toward issuing a forthcoming FOP nutrition labeling proposed rule, anticipated in June 2024. 

Group Files Petition Requesting FDA Declare Calories on Third-Party Platforms

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, Consumer Federation of America, the American Public Health Association, and Consumer Reports filed a petition requesting that FDA issue final guidance clarifying that the agency’s existing menu labeling regulations apply to menus from covered establishments on third-party platforms (TPPs). In the petition, the groups request that the final guidance display calories on all online menus, similarly to how calorie labeling is required for menus in establishments and on the establishment’s website. The group requests that these regulations include requirements on calorie labeling, a statement about recommended daily calorie intake, a statement about the availability of additional nutrition information on menus on TPPs, and where and how to provide required disclosures for all menus on the Internet. This petition follows the release of FDA’s draft menu labeling supplemental guidance for industry, published in December 2023, addressing calorie disclosure of nutrition information on TPPs.

USDA Sends Letters to States Requesting Improved SNAP Administration

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack sent letters to 47 state governors calling on states to improve Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administration. In the letters, Viksack outlines several ongoing challenges, citing delayed and inaccurate SNAP benefits, and steps that states can take to improve the program’s efficiency. USDA requested that states ensure timely and accurate SNAP benefits and processing, including recommendations to streamline and simplify processes by reducing unnecessary paperwork and assigning the longest certification periods allowable for the household, as well as investing in systems and staffing to support modern business models and delivery systems.

On a related note, Secretary Vilsack testified this week before the House Agriculture Committee amidst ongoing negotiations to pass a bi-partisan Farm Bill ahead of the September 30 deadline and emphasized the importance of including funding for SNAP.

Food Safety

Coalition Sends Letter Requesting Food Date Labeling Standardization 

A coalition of 24 industry groups sent a letter to Congress and leaders of several House and Senate committees urging the standardization of date labels and date labeling terms on food packages. In the letter, the coalition calls on Congress to support the Food Date Labeling Act, introduced in May 2023, that would establish voluntary requirements for quality and discard date food labels, including a “BEST If Used By” label providing the date "after which a food product’s quality may deteriorate” or a “USE By” label displaying what date the product should be thrown out. The legislation would also require USDA and FDA to collaborate to provide education on the meaning of the standardized date labels. The coalition argues that the legislation offers a practical approach to addressing consumer confusion on date labels and supporting national food waste goals.

Study Examines PFAS Contamination in Various Food Sources and Packaging

A study published in Environment International examined the association between dietary intake and food sources with changes in blood PFAS concentrations. The study suggests that food and beverage intake of various sources of foods are significantly associated with measures of PFAS concentrations. Researchers found that higher intakes of sweetened and unsweetened tea, pork, sports drinks, nut and seed butters, and snack chips, and lower intakes of whole fruit, fruit juice, pasta, fried potatoes, soft drinks, cooked grains, nuts and seeds, and sugar were associated with higher concentrations of PFAS. The study highlights the need for public monitoring of beverages, processed meats, food packaging containers, and other well-known sources of PFAS in the diet to further determine PFAS exposure and contamination.

Agriculture

USDA FNS Invests to Support State Farm to Food Bank Projects

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced an investment of $3.8 million in grants to 27 state agencies to support the agency’s Farm to Food Bank projects. This investment marks USDA’s fifth year of funding dedicated to support these projects, aiming to reduce food waste at the agricultural production, processing, or distribution level through the donation of food, and build relationships between agricultural producers, processors, distributors and emergency feeding organizations. The agency’s Farm to Food Bank projects support USDA’s commitment to invest in the emergency food system, including a focus on additional food purchases, improving infrastructure, supporting health and nutrition, bolstering local food systems, and promoting access and equity to continue to drive toward a stronger tomorrow.

Global

EU Publishes Draft Regulations Proposing to Ban BPA in Food Contact Materials

The European Commission (EU) released a draft regulation proposing a ban on bisphenol A (BPA) and other bisphenols in food contact materials (FCMs), including plastic and coated packaging. The regulations would prohibit the use of BPA at any manufacturing stage of food contact varnishes and coatings, and prohibit food contact products composed partly or wholly of BPA-manufactured materials on the market. This prohibition would also require business operators to identify other bisphenols to replace BPA in food contact materials. This regulatory proposal follows an updated scientific opinion, published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in April 2023, finding that current dietary exposure to BPA is unsafe and lowered the tolerable daily intake. The draft regulation is open for public comment until March 8, 2024, and is anticipated to take effect between late 2025 and early 2026. 

Study Examines Level of Food Processing Against FOP Nutrition Labeling System

A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition examined nearly 3,000 different food and beverage items and compared their nutritional content with front-of-pack (FOP) traffic light labeling to understand whether ultra-processed food (UPF) are covered by existing UK dietary recommendations for foods high in salt, sugar, and fat. The study found that some of the foods classified as UPF contained greater amounts of fat, saturated fat, total sugar, and salt than minimally processed foods and were more likely to be labeled with a 'red' FOP traffic light label containing higher amounts of salt, sugar, and fat. However, researchers also found that many UPFs received a FOP traffic light score similar to minimally processed foods, in which UPFs such as sandwiches, high-fiber breakfast cereals, plant-based milk alternatives, and white bread were less likely to be labeled as containing high amounts of salt, sugar, and fat. 

WHO Highlights Nepal's Progress in Restricting Industrially Produced Trans Fats

The World Health Organization (WHO) published a press release supporting the country of Nepal's legislation and efforts to restrict levels of industrially produced trans-fatty acids in the food supply. Nepal’s restriction on industrially produced trans-fatty acids will drive progress toward meeting WHO’s South-East Asia Region’s SEAHEARTS initiative target of protecting two billion people from the effects of trans-fatty acids by 2025 through best practice or complementary policy measures of the organization’s trans fat REPLACE initiative. WHO continues to urge countries in the South-East Asia Region to follow best-practice policies to drive progress toward eliminating industrially-produced trans fat from national food supplies. This country's spotlight follows WHO’s recent announcement that awarded certificates to Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand as the first five countries to demonstrate best-practice trans fat elimination policies.

Fun Fact: In medieval Europe, the term "meat" often referred to any solid food other than bread.