Weekly Newsletter | February 9, 2023
Food & Nutrition

USDA Releases School Meals Proposed Rule
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has released the proposed rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Revisions to Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This proposed rule aims to revise Child Nutrition Program meal patterns to be consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. For the first time, FNS is proposing a phased approach to limit added sugars on specific products, including breakfast cereals, flavored milks, grain-based desserts, and yogurt, and a weekly limit across all meals. The rule also proposes revised long-term milk and whole-grain standards, a gradual reduction of sodium limits, and includes measures to strengthen the Buy American provision. Comments on this proposed rule are due April 10, 2023.

On a related note, Senator Nancy Skinner (D-CA) introduced legislation that would cap students' added sugar intake at 25 grams per day in school meals in all California K-12 schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program.

2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Releases Meeting Agenda 
The agenda is now available for the first virtual meeting of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) that is being held on February 9-10, 2023. The meeting will include a review of operations for the Committee members, an overview of the proposed scientific questions that will be examined by the Committee, presentations on the evidence-based approaches for reviewing the scientific research, and plans for future work.

OMB Completes Review of FDA Plant-based Milk Alternative Labeling Draft Guidance
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has completed its review of the FDA draft guidance, Labeling of Plant-based Milk Alternatives and Voluntary Nutrient Statements. This draft guidance will clarify labeling standards for plant-based milk for better consistency and clarity in labeling across this category. For example, this guidance would determine whether terms such as soy, almond, or oat can be used alongside the term milk.

Study Suggests Effectiveness of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes
A study published in PLOS Global Public Health examined sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption in San Francisco, California compared to the SSB consumption in San José, California, before and after San Francisco’s implementation of its SSB tax in 2018. Researchers found that within the first two years of implementation, average SSB intake declined by 34% in San Francisco while SSB consumption only declined by 16.5% in San José. The authors note that these findings support the effectiveness of a one cent per ounce tax on SSBs in reducing high SSB consumption.
Food Safety

USDA Seeks NACMCF Membership Nominations
The USDA is soliciting nominations for membership on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). The USDA is seeking nominations from individuals with scientific expertise in the fields of microbiology, risk assessment, epidemiology, public health, food science, and other relevant disciplines. The appointed Advisory Committee members will serve a two-year term that will begin September 2023 and go through September 2025. The NACMCF provides scientific advice to federal food safety agencies concerning the development of science-based, microbiological standards. All nominations must be received by March 15, 2023.
Agriculture

House Announces Agriculture Subcommittee Chairs and Ranking Members 
Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, G.T. Thompson (R-PA), has announced the chairs of the agriculture Subcommittees for the 118th Congress. These include Rep. Brad Finstad (R-MN) as chair of the Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture Subcommittee and Rep. Tracey Mann (R-KS) as chair of the new Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Subcommittee. Additionally, Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee, David Scott (D-GA), named the subcommittee ranking members, including Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) to serve as ranking member of the Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture and Horticulture Subcommittee and Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) to serve as ranking member of the Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Subcommittee.
Global

South Africa Publishes FOP Warning Label Draft Regulations
The South Africa Department of Health published its draft regulations to introduce a mandatory front-of package (FOP) warning-label system for pre-packaged foods that are high in sugar, salt and saturated fat and issued new marketing restrictions that apply to any product carrying the warning label. Under the regulations, pre-packaged foods would need to carry an FOP warning label if they contain more than 10g of total sugar per 100g, more than 4g of saturated fatty acids per 100g, and more than 400mg of sodium per 100g. A warning label will also need to be applied if there is any amount of artificial sweetener in food or beverages.

Taiwan Announces Mandatory Logo for Infant Formula Packaging 
The Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) announced that starting in January 2025, a new mandatory logo and slogan must be included on infant formula and follow-up formula packages. The new logo depicts a woman carrying a baby and the slogans include the phrases, “mother’s breastmilk is the best source of nutrition for infants” and “the Ministry of Health and Welfare cares for you.” A number of other cautionary statements regarding preparation and medical advice must also be included.


Fun Fact: Ice cream is one of the oldest desserts in the world.