FDA released a public inventory of select food ingredients that the agency determined to have unsafe uses in food that does not meet the statutory criteria for generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and lists of select chemicals currently under agency review as of July 12, 2023. The list includes ingredients considered GRAS, food additives, color additives, food contact substances, and contaminants to be updated periodically by the agency. The list of select food ingredients and food contact substances currently under FDA review include per-and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), bisphenol A (BPA), brominated-vegetable-oil (BVO), partially hydrogenated oil (PHO), red dye 3, and titanium dioxide, among others. FDA also published a new edition of its Conversations with Experts series about the agency’s work to enhance the post-market assessment of ingredients and food contact substances on the market. 

USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) published states’ payment error rates for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in fiscal year (FY) 2022. The agency found that the combined payment error rate for SNAP payments increased from 7.3% in FY 2019 to 11.5% in FY 2022, with an overpayment error rate of 9.8% and an underpayment error rate of 1.7%. This publication resumes the agency’s annual process, paused during the COVID-19 pandemic for FY 2020 and 2021, to publish annual national and state payment error rates. USDA noted that several pandemic-related challenges, such as high staff vacancy rates at state agencies and difficulties in hiring and training new case managers, are reflected in the FY 2022 data.

Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced a bill that would expand the food options available in SNAP to allow the purchase of hot prepared foods and meals and cold prepared foods, including prepared rotisserie chickens, hot sandwiches, and soups. The Hot Foods Act would remove the current provision that restricts SNAP purchases for hot and cold-prepared foods. This bill serves as companion legislation to the Hot Foods Act introduced in the House in May.

A study funded by USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and published in The Journal of Nutrition examined the feasibility of building a menu that aligns with recommendations for a healthy dietary pattern from the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and includes ≥80% calories from ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Researchers developed a 7-day, 2,000-calorie menu in which 91% of calories came from UPFs with adequate amounts of all macro- and micronutrients with the exception of vitamin D, vitamin E, and choline. The study suggests that recommended dietary patterns in the DGA can include calories primarily from UPFs (classified according to the NOVA classification system), receive high diet quality scores, and contain adequate amounts of most macro- and micronutrients.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) filed a petition requesting that USDA prohibit “climate-friendly” and similar claims on beef products and require a third-party verification and a numerical on-pack carbon disclosure for such claims. In the petition, EWG argues that misleading climate claims such as “climate-friendly” on beef products or allowing climate claims without sufficient verification and an accompanying numerical carbon disclosure violates federal laws prohibiting false and misleading claims. This petition follows the groups’ petition filed in April requesting that the agency prohibit low-carbon beef claims and require third-party verification for similar carbon claims and a numerical on-pack carbon disclosure when such claims are made.

The Senate Agriculture Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry voted to confirm the appointment of Xochitl Torres Small as USDA’s Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. President Biden announced his nomination for Torres Small to serve as Deputy Secretary in February 2023 following Jewel Bronaugh’s resignation from the position. Torres Small previously served as a U.S. Representative for New Mexico’s Second Congressional District. Roger Glendenning, currently serving as USDA Rural Development Chief Operating Officer, will now serve as USDA Acting Under Secretary effective July 14, 2023.

The UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published its position statement on processed foods and health. The position statement provides an overview of the current evidence on processed foods, including the existing classification systems of processed and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and evidence associating different forms or levels of food processing with health outcomes. The report found that while systematic reviews on UPFs suggest that increased UPF consumption is associated with increased risks of adverse health outcomes, uncertainties around the quality of evidence remain. The report recommends that further assessment and development of a UPF classification system and evidence exploring relationships between UPFs and health outcomes is required for future use.

The European Commission (EU) proposed food waste reduction targets to be achieved by Member States by 2030, as part of its revision to the Waste Framework Directive. The proposal, if adopted, would require Member States to reduce food waste by 10% in processing and manufacturing, and by 30% (per capita), jointly at retail and consumption to include restaurants, food services and households by the end of 2030. The results of the first EU-wide monitoring of food waste levels, conducted in 2020, will serve as a baseline to assess progress towards these targets through a formal review of progress made by Member States by the end of 2027.

Fun Fact: Pineapple is the only known natural source of the enzyme bromelain, which aids in the digestion of proteins.