|
Food & Nutrition
2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Hosts Fifth Public Meeting
This week, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) concluded its fifth public meeting to inform the development of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. During the meeting, the Committee presented new and revised protocols, several systematic review draft conclusion statements, U.S. food and beverage consumption data, and new food pattern modeling potential modifications and flexibilities for several food groups and subgroups within the Healthy U.S. Dietary Patterns. Most notably, the DGAC presented two draft conclusion statements from its systematic review examining dietary patterns varying in ultra-processed food (UPF), finding limited evidence on the relationship between UPF consumption and risk of overweight/obesity despite the lack of a standardized UPF definition. The sixth and final public meeting is scheduled for September 25-26, 2024, and the updated systematic review and food pattern modeling protocols to be published next month.
FDA Announces Approval of Reorganization Proposal for Human Foods Program
FDA announced that the agency’s proposed reorganization package to create a unified Human Foods Program (HFP) and new Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) model was approved by HHS, with the reorganization implementation slated for October 1, 2024. The agency completed its proposed reorganization package in December 2023 based on recommendations from the FDA’s working group and an external evaluation conducted by the Reagan-Udall Foundation. The agency-wide reorganization will allow FDA to elevate the importance of nutrition to help reduce diet-related diseases, strengthen state partnerships, and embrace innovative food and agricultural technologies to more effectively regulate the U.S. food supply.
IFIC Publishes Consumer Research on FOP Nutrition Labeling
The International Food Information Council (IFIC) published its front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labeling consumer study report that explored how consumers perceive, prioritize, use, and interpret nutritional labels and information on food packaging. The quantitative consumer research found several key findings, including that 1) no single FOP scheme is superior to any other FOP scheme in helping consumers identify the healthiest and least healthy choices; 2) including calories and/or dietary fiber information on FOP schemes may improve correct selection of the “healthiest” FOP label; and 3) the use of interpretive language on FOP labels may improve correct selection of the “least healthy” FOP label when less information is provided on FOP labels, among others. This consumer research comes ahead of a forthcoming FDA FOP nutrition labeling proposed rule, anticipated as early as Summer 2024.
Lawmakers Send Letter Urging FDA to Implement FOP Nutrition Labeling
Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and nine Representatives sent a letter to FDA urging the agency to prioritize the development of a mandatory front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labeling system. In the letter, the Representatives argue that a FOP nutrition labeling system would provide clear information about nutrients of concern, including salt, sugar, and saturated fat to help consumers make healthier choices. The group highlights that while the lawmakers applaud FDA’s progress toward the development of a FOP nutrition labeling system, several food industry stakeholders continue to discourage the agency from developing a mandatory system. The letter urges FDA to adopt a mandatory FOP nutrition labeling system that includes calories and to issue a proposed rule by June 1, 2024.
| 
