Food & Nutrition

FDA Releases Added Sugar Meeting Agenda and Listening Session Questions

FDA released its public meeting agenda and standard set of listening session discussion questions for the agency’s upcoming virtual public meeting on strategies for reducing added sugar consumption on November 6, 2023, followed by virtual public listening sessions on November 7-8, 2023. The public meeting and listening sessions intend to explore what federal agencies, communities, and private industry are doing to encourage the reduced consumption of added sugars. There will be two days of facilitated listening sessions with two listening session topics offered each day: 1) Food Labeling and Food Industry Perspectives and 2) Consumer Education and Community Perspectives. The deadline to submit questions for consideration during the public meeting, including the panel sessions, are due October 12, 2023, and registration to attend the listening sessions ends October 20, 2023. A docket will be available beginning November 6, 2023, to receive comments related to the event topics. Comments must be submitted on the docket by January 22, 2024.

President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition to Host Second Public Meeting 

The Biden-Harris Administration’s President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition (PCSFN) is hosting its second public meeting on October 26, 2023, from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST. The meeting will feature discussions from the Council subcommittees to provide updates to the full Council on the progress of current initiatives and next steps. The meeting intends to discuss activities that include defining the Council’s role in the implementation of the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, promotion of partnership opportunities and community engagement to help fulfill the Council’s mission, and the development of messaging to better support and encourage healthy eating and physical activity. The Council serves as a federal advisory committee that aims to engage, educate, and empower individuals to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and good nutrition.

Tufts University Food is Medicine Institute Partners to Launch Education Campaign

The Tufts Food is Medicine Institute announced its partnership with the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, and American Heart Association to launch the new national public education campaign, #NourishMyHealth. The campaign’s goal is to promote the protective health benefits of nutritious food in reducing the risk of diet-related conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and types of cancer. This campaign was developed as a commitment by NACDS as part of the 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.

Public Health Group Publishes Report on Conflicts of Interest of DGAC Members

U.S. Right to Know, a nonprofit public health research group, published a report that assessed the disclosure of conflicts of interest of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC). The report found that nine out of 20 members of the DGAC have connections to food companies, pharmaceutical or weight loss companies, and industry groups, most often in the form of research support and consultancy. The report outlines six recommendations to improve the selection and operation of the DGAC, suggesting that USDA and HHS 1) not appoint members with high-risk conflicts of interest, 2) disclose individual members’ conflicts during the last five years, 3) use a transparent disclosure form, 4) publish a list of provisional appointees prior to appointment, open for public comment, as recommended by NASEM, and 5) include leadership roles or paid roles at conflicted nutrition organizations in disclosures of possible conflicts of interest.

Trust for America’s Health to Host State of Obesity Event 

Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) is hosting an event on October 11, 2023, from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. (EST) that will feature discussions between senior government officials, national organizations, and community stakeholders about key progress and remaining work in TFAH’s mission to create pathways to a healthier America. This event follows TFAH’s recent publication of its annual State of Obesity 2023: Better Policies for a Healthier America report, highlighting the increase in obesity rates in the U.S. The event will feature speakers including James Jones, Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods at FDA, Caree Cotwright, Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity at USDA, and Ruth Petersen, Director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity at CDC. 

Study Examines Global SSB Intake Across 185 Countries Between 1990 and 2018 

A study published in Nature Communications examined sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intakes among adults between 1990 and 2018 in 185 countries using data from the Global Dietary Database. Researchers found that the global intake of SSBs increased by 16% since 1990, with the largest increase in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study found that of the 185 countries examined, 8.9% of the adult population had a mean SSB intake of 7 or more servings per week. The study suggests the need and design of national and more targeted policies and approaches to reduce SSB intake worldwide.

EPA Finalizes Final Rule to Require Reporting of PFAS Data

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the agency’s final rule that requires all manufacturers, including importers of PFAS and PFAS-containing articles in any year since 2011, to submit information to EPA regarding PFAS uses, production volumes, byproducts, disposal, exposures, and existing information on environmental or health effects. The final rule expands on the definition of PFAS to include 41 additional PFAS that were identified as being of concern. This final rule also streamlines reporting requirements and reduces the burden for those who made or used small quantities of PFAS for research and development purposes, as well as for those who imported PFAS contained in articles into the U.S. Manufacturers will have 18 months following the effective date of the final rule after its formal publication in the Federal Register to report PFAS data to EPA. This rule is a key action in EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap.

FDA Hosts Listening Session on Modernizing Recalls of FDA-Regulated Products

Last week, FDA hosted the public meeting, “Modernizing Food and Drug Administration Recalls Listening Session,” to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to share information and feedback about topics related to recall modernization of FDA-regulated products. During the meeting, FDA shared that they are in the beginning stages of refining and improving the agency’s recall framework and are identifying what can be done both in the long and short term to modernize the recall process. Stakeholders called on the agency to standardize recall processes to be more efficient, modernize recall communications in a more timely manner, provide standard recall requirements through greater consolidation of FDA recall resources, increase transparency between industry and stakeholders about the recall process, and support closer coordination between FDA, USDA and industry. The deadline to submit public comment for this listening session is October 27, 2023.

Agriculture

Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform Launches Global Framework

The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform, a non-profit of 170 companies from the food and beverage industry, launched its global framework for regenerative agriculture. The SAI Platform’s ‘Regenerating Together’ global framework provides industry with a globally-aligned approach for the transition to regenerative-agriculture practices. The framework and broader program identifies four key areas of impact, including water, soil, biodiversity and climate, and four steps through which to enact the framework through risk screening assessment, outcome selection, the adoption of principles and practices, and the monitoring and assessment of progress. This framework follows the publication of a Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return (FAIRR) initiative report that criticized agri-food companies for the lack of progress on efforts to address regenerative agriculture and establish formal targets.

Global

Philippines Adopts Updated Dietary Standards for Prepackaged Processed Foods

The Philippines FDA issued a formal circular announcing to adopt the 2015 Philippine Dietary Reference Intakes (PDRI) Percent Recommended Energy Intakes/Recommended Nutrient Intakes (%REI/RNI) as the new dietary standard for all prepackaged processed foods in the country. This circular aims to adopt the 2015 PDRI %REI/RNI for use in food labeling and other pertinent guidelines and regulations of processed food products based on updated energy and nutrient requirements, as well as the adoption of the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation limit for sodium. The circular also contains guidelines to all Food Business Operators (FBOs) on the use of %REI/RNI and requires the statement "Based on PDRI 2015" to be included in the nutrition facts and nutrition information of these products.

Fun Fact: Jackfruit is the world's largest tree-borne fruit.