Food & Nutrition

2025 Presidential Inauguration and Agency Confirmation Hearings 

The 2025 Presidential Inauguration marked the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term, accompanied by the release of several executive orders. This week, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a nomination hearing for USDA Secretary nominee Brooke Rollins. During the hearing, Rollins outlined her day one priorities at the agency and was vocal that if confirmed, she would advocate for rural America by ensuring economic assistance is deployed quickly, increasing collaboration to handle animal disease outbreaks, strengthening rural development programs, and overall modernizing the agency. Looking ahead, the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee will also host nomination hearings for HHS Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) on January 29 and January 30, 2025. Under the administration, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, spearheaded by RFK Jr., if confirmed, will likely play a key role in influencing food and nutrition policy. 

House Introduces Healthy SNAP Act of 2025

Representative Josh Brecheen (R-OK) introduced the Healthy SNAP Act of 2025 that would limit the types of foods and beverages that can be purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The legislation would exclude items such as soft drinks, candy, ice cream, and prepared desserts and direct the USDA to ensure that eligible food under the program reflects nutrition science, public health concerns, and cultural eating patterns. The bill builds on the Healthy SNAP Act of 2023, introduced in June 2023, that failed to pass either chamber.

Congress Introduces Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 

Representative Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) introduced the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025. The bill, introduced in both the House and Senate, would expand milk options allowed to be served in school meals to include unflavored and flavored whole and reduced fat milk, in addition to low-fat and fat-free milk under the USDA National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. The bill builds on the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2023, introduced in February 2023, that failed to pass either chamber.

Food Safety

Connecticut Introduces Bill to Prohibit 15 Food Additives in the State

Connecticut introduced a bill that would prohibit the manufacture, sale, and distribution of food products that contain 15 food additives in the state. These food additives include red dye 2, red dye 4, red dye 40, green dye 1, green dye 2, violet dye 1, orange dye 1, orange dye 2, butter yellow dye, yellow dye 5, yellow dye 6, blue dye 1, blue dye 2, erythrosine, and carmoisine. Notably, the legislation targets several food colors that have not been previously targeted in state food additive restriction legislation to date. If enacted, the bill would serve as a first of its kind to prohibit select food additives in the state's food supply.

On a similar note, approximately 30 bills have been introduced across various states for consideration during their respective 2025 legislative sessions that seek to prohibit certain food additives from the state's food supply and/or from being included in school meals.

Minnesota Introduces Bill to Require Testing of Phthalates in Packaged Foods 

Minnesota introduced a bill that would require packaged food manufacturers to test products for levels of phthalates. The first of its kind legislation would require food manufacturers or brands that sell or distribute a packaged food product to test their products for ortho-phthalates and submit a notice to the Department of Agriculture disclosing the levels of all phthalates detected for each food product and the method used for testing. The bill would also require packaging to display a QR code that links consumers to phthalate testing results published online. If passed, the bill would take effect July 1, 2026. Phthalates, currently under FDA review, are listed among the chemicals being assessed for the safety of its exposure in food contact substances.

Global

WHO to Launch Guideline on the Use of Lower-Sodium Salt Substitutes

The World Health Organization's (WHO) Department of Nutrition and Food Safety (NFS) is hosting a webinar for the launch of its new guideline on the use of lower-sodium salt substitutes (LSSS) on January 27, 2025. The webinar will present the overview of the LSSS guideline, how to implement the recommendation, and how LSSS use fits within the agency’s overall sodium reduction strategy. The WHO developed the guideline to support Member States in their efforts to reduce sodium intake and lower the risk of hypertension and related noncommunicable diseases through public health policy actions and intervention programs.

Fun Fact: January 24th is National Peanut Butter Day.