Weekly Newsletter | February 2, 2023
Food & Nutrition

FDA Releases Redesign of Human Foods Program
The FDA released its proposed redesign to update the FDA Human Foods Program. This comes in response to FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf’s review of the findings and recommendations from an external evaluation conducted by the Reagan-Udall Foundation and a separate internal review of the agency’s infant formula supply chain response. The proposed redesign includes the appointment of a Deputy Commissioner for the Human Foods Program who will oversee a unified Human Foods Program that will consist of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), the Office of Food Policy and Response (OFPR), and certain functions of the Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA). The proposed redesign will also include the creation of a Center for Excellence in Nutrition and an Office of Critical Foods, among others. The FDA will develop the proposed redesign into a concrete reorganizational proposal and will provide updates on the organization, design, and timeline in late February. 

OMB Completes Review of FNS School Meals Proposed Rule
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has completed its review of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) proposed rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Revisions to Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This rule will revise Child Nutrition Program school meal patterns for meals and snacks served to children to be consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Now that the OMB review is complete, it is expected that this proposal will be publicly released soon.

USDA FNS Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity Sara Bleich Resigns 
The USDA’s first Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity, Sara Bleich, announced her resignation from her position at USDA. Bleich left her position due to Harvard’s time limit on how long faculty can take leave from the university and now serves as vice provost for special projects at Harvard University, leading the Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery initiative. 

USDA to Appoint Catherine Buhrig as Next Director of SNAP 
According to Politico, USDA has selected Catherine Buhrig to serve as the next director of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Buhrig previously served as director for the Bureau of Policy in the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ Office of Income Maintenance, where she oversaw SNAP and other program policies.

Administration Sets End Date for Public Health Emergency
The Biden Administration announced its intention to extend the COVID-19 national and public health emergencies one final time with the emergency declaration set to expire on May 11, 2023. The Administration is actively reviewing flexible policies, including food and menu labeling flexibilities, that were authorized under the public health emergency to determine which can remain in place after the emergencies are lifted on May 11.

Congress Introduces Protecting Children with Food Allergies Act
Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced the Protecting Children with Food Allergies Act that would strengthen food allergy training for school food personnel to prepare and respond to food-related allergic reactions. If passed, this bill would update the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act (CNR) by requiring food allergy training for school food personnel who provide meals through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP).

BPC Publishes Food and Nutrition Security Farm Bill Recommendations Report 
The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) Food and Nutrition Security Task Force released a report recommending a greater focus on improving nutrition in the 2023 Farm Bill and further action to improve the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The report makes five key policy recommendations and more than 25 sub-recommendations for strengthening SNAP and other federal nutrition assistance programs authorized in the Farm Bill. The report recommends that Congress ensure that SNAP benefit levels are adequate to achieve a nutritious diet and further expand and invest in the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP).

CSPI Files Petition Calling for DGAC Financial Conflict of Interest Disclosure
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) announced that 15 public health and consumer organizations are calling on the USDA and HHS to disclose potential financial conflicts of interest, including sources of research funding, speakers’ fees, and other relationships, of the recently appointed 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC). The groups suggest that the Departments failed to follow the recommendations of the 2017 National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report, which recommended that USDA and HHS “make a list of provisional appointees open for public comment, including short biographies and any known conflicts, for a reasonable period of time prior to appointment.”

Study Suggests Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to Increased Risk of Cancers 
A study published in eClinicalMedicine examined the association between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and the risk of 34 types of cancer over a 10-year period. Researchers found that every 10% increase in UPF consumption was associated with an increased risk of overall, ovarian, brain, and breast cancer-associated mortality. The study suggests that lowering UPF consumption in dietary patterns may be beneficial for the prevention and risk reduction of overall and certain site-specific cancers.
Food Safety

CSPI Files Petition to Prohibit Manufacturers Intentionally Adding Sesame to Foods 
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) filed a petition requesting that FDA issue a notice and update its food industry guidance to prevent manufacturers from intentionally adding sesame and other major allergens to products instead of implementing preventative food allergy controls. CSPI is urging the FDA to declare the practice illegal under rules requiring food manufacturers to mitigate risk of allergen cross contact.
Agriculture

OMB Completes Review of FSIS Voluntary “Product of USA” Labeling Proposed Rule
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has completed its review of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) proposed rule, Voluntary Labeling of Products With "Product of USA" and Similar Statements. This rule proposes to define the conditions under which product labels can bear voluntary statements indicating that the product is of United States origin, such as “Product of USA” or “Made in the USA.”
Global

EU Organic Food Associations File Lawsuit Against Eco-Score Labeling Concerns   
IFOAM Organics Europe and the French Association of IFOAM Members filed a lawsuit against the Paris Court of Justice seeking to end the use of the environmental labeling system, Eco-Score, which they consider unfair to organic production and deceptive for consumers. The groups suggest that the Eco-Score labeling system ‘unlawfully associates the diminutive ‘eco’ with non-organic certified products’, suggesting that the label is likely to create confusion among consumers between products from conventional and organic production.


Fun Fact: There are more than 400 different species of berries around the world.