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Food & Nutrition
Food Policy Under a Second Trump Administration
This week, following the re-election of former President Donald Trump, a new phase in food policy is likely to begin. The Trump administration is expected to bring various health topics into the spotlight through the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) platform, particularly if Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) assumes a leadership role in health policy. While the specific impact of RFK Jr. and the MAHA platform is uncertain, possible initiatives may include increased regulation of food chemicals, further scrutiny of ultra-processed foods, and reductions in SNAP funding, to name a few. The transition team has also noted plans to establish a Presidential Commission to investigate the rise in chronic disease.
FDA Extends Comment Period for Voluntary Sodium Reduction Draft Guidance
FDA extended the public comment period for the agency's draft guidance, Voluntary Sodium Reduction Goals: Target Mean and Upper Bound Concentrations for Sodium in Commercially Processed, Packaged, and Prepared Foods (Edition 2), from November 14, 2024, to January 13, 2025. The comment period was extended by 60 days as a response to requests from stakeholders to allow additional time to develop and submit comments. The draft guidance contains three-year sodium reduction targets for 163 food categories for commercially processed, packaged, and prepared foods, building on the agency’s Phase I voluntary sodium reduction targets issued in October 2021. As reflected under the FDA Human Foods Program (HFP) 2025 Priority Deliverables, the agency will review public comments to finalize the draft Phase II targets and continue to assess progress on sodium reduction across the food supply in FY 2025.
NASEM to Host Webinar on Role of Nutrition in Aging and Older Adults
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s (NASEM) Food Forum is hosting the webinar, Optimizing Health with Age: What is Nutrition’s Role, to examine optimum health outcomes, age-related changes in nutrient needs, ways to improve food and nutrition access for older adults, and age-related nutritional barriers and opportunities. Registration to attend is now available.
IFIC Publishes Survey on Consumer Trust in Food and Nutrition Science
The International Food Information Council (IFIC) published the consumer research survey, American Perceptions Of Sweeteners In Foods & Beverages, that examined consumers’ perceptions, preferences, and recent consumption patterns of sweeteners in foods and beverages. The survey reported consumer changes between April 2023 and April 2024 related to low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) consumption habits, sweetener preferences, and what information sources people use to inform their opinions about LNCS safety. IFIC found several key findings, including that consumers reported that they are more likely to consume foods and beverages with sugars than those with LNCS, allulose, or sugar alcohols, and that most consumers agree that consuming LNCS can benefit one’s health. The survey was conducted as a follow-up to the IFIC May 2023 survey, Public Perceptions of Dietary Sweeteners.
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