Food & Nutrition

Registration Opens for NIH-FDA Nutrition Regulatory Science Workshop

Registration is now open to attend the FDA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Nutrition Regulatory Science Workshop, which will be held December 17-18, 2024. The workshop will highlight how nutrition science can generate evidence and data to inform food-related policy and regulatory decision-making, and to foster collaboration between the agencies in supporting research that addresses priority nutrition research gaps. During the workshop, topics to be discussed will include ultra-processed foods (UPFs), impact analysis and implementation science related to regulatory actions, and emerging technological innovations related to nutrition regulatory science. The deadline to register for the workshop is December 17, 2024, with workshop speakers to be announced at a later date.

House E&C Health Subcommittee Hosts Hearing on FDA Human Foods Program

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing in which Jim Jones, FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, testified and fielded questions regarding the agency’s unified Human Foods Program (HFP). During the hearing, Jim Jones highlighted FDA’s HFP reorganization, slated for implementation on October 1, 2024, and underscored the need for additional regulatory authorities and resource investments to meet the demand of the evolving food supply and achieve the program’s mission. The agency’s Deputy Commissioner also highlighted the agency’s plans for a more comprehensive post-market chemical review program, noting an upcoming announcement on red dye 3 in the coming months, and called on the need for more robust research on ultra-processed foods (UPFs) as it relates to diet-related chronic disease. Jones further shared that the agency's front-of-pack nutrition labeling (FOPNL) proposed rule is anticipated for release by the end of the calendar year. 

Senators Send Letter Concerning Plant-Based Products in Dairy Category in DGAs

Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Susan Collins (R-ME), James Risch (R-ID), and Peter Welch (D-VT) sent a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra detailing their concerns regarding the inclusion of plant-based alternative products in the dairy category of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs). In the letter, the lawmakers argue that plant-based alternatives may not be nutritionally equivalent to dairy and that an update to the guidelines would further consumer confusion about the nutritional differences between the products. The Senators requested that the agencies utilize scientific evidence to support any statements which nutritionally equate plant-based alternatives with dairy products during the development process. The sixth and seventh public meetings of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee will be held on September 25-26, 2024, and October 21-22, 2024, respectively. 

On a related note, 44 organizations sent a letter to Senate and House Agriculture Committee leaders urging them to reject proposed changes to the DGA process featured in the House Agriculture Committee’s farm bill. The group argues that the provision would undermine scientific integrity, harm public health, and exacerbate health inequities of the DGAs, preventing the 2025 DGAC from considering topics that impact dietary choices across diverse cultures, races, and ethnicities.

Tufts Food is Medicine Institute Hosts Briefing on GLP-1s and Food is Medicine

The Tufts University Food is Medicine Institute held a briefing featuring a panel of congressional and industry speakers who discussed the strengths and limitations of GLP-1 drugs as a tool to help combat the U.S. obesity epidemic. During the briefing, speakers highlighted the benefits of combining GLP-1 drugs with food is medicine interventions, such as medically-tailored meals, produce prescription programs, and medically-tailored groceries, to improve patient health and better manage healthcare spending. In a call to action, Dariush Mozaffarian, Director of the Tufts Food is Medicine Institute, advocated for and called on Congress to encourage the integration of food as medicine interventions into the healthcare system, arguing that such programs would be less costly and should be prescribed alongside good nutrition, including the consumption of foods high in healthy plant fats, low in starch and sugar, and high in fermentable fibers.

NYC Releases Final Regulations on Restaurant Added Sugar Warning Icon Law

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) released final regulations related to the city's Sweet Truth Act (Int 0687a-2022), which will now require chain restaurants with 15 or more locations to post a warning icon next to prepackaged food items with a Nutrition Facts label that have 50 grams or more of added sugars. The final regulations will also require establishments to post an added sugar warning statement at the point of purchase and on menus, menu boards, and self-service food locations. These regulations also apply to foods that are identical to prepackaged foods, such as a soda from a fountain machine. The NYC DOHMH will be educating chain restaurants about how to comply and may issue a summons for violations, beginning on October 4, 2025.

Food Safety

White House Releases PFAS Federal Research and Development Strategic Plan

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released the Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Federal Research and Development Strategic Plan, which presents goals, objectives, and tasks for PFAS research and development (R&D) for the next five years. The Strategic Plan builds on the OSTP’s 2023 PFAS Report, in which the PFAS Strategy Team identified four strategic goals intended to drive federal R&D efforts and five R&D strategies to address identified knowledge gaps. The Strategic Plan also includes an objective and related task addressing the development and support of additional food product sampling and analysis for PFAS, including foods grown or raised in areas with water contamination, general population dietary items, and food packaging and processing, as well as the development of reference materials in food to support agricultural research.

Agriculture

USDA Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee to Host Public Meeting

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced that the Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee (FVIAC) is hosting a two-day virtual meeting on October 8-9, 2024. During the meeting, the FVIAC will examine various fruit and vegetable industry issues and provide recommendations and ideas on how USDA can tailor programs and services to better meet the needs of the U.S. produce industry. The deadline to submit written comments and register for written and oral public comments is October 1, 2024. 

USDA Invests in Specialty Crops Research and Organic Agriculture Production

USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced an investment of $121 million to advance specialty crops research and organic agriculture production for high-quality organic food, fiber, and organic products. The investment, made under the agency’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative, aims to expand markets and increase competitiveness of the specialty crop industry, including crops such as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and dried fruits, and increase access to specialty crops for consumers. 

Global

WHO Launches Consultation on Nutrition and Labeling Policies Draft Guideline

The World Health Organization (WHO) Department of Nutrition and Food Safety (NFS) opened a public consultation and hosted a launch event for the release of the WHO draft guideline, Nutrition Labelling Policies. The draft guideline is intended to support countries in developing new or strengthening existing nutrition and labeling policies, including list of ingredients, nutrient declarations, front-of-pack (FOP) labeling, and nutrition and health claims. WHO provides several policy recommendations, including strong support for the implementation of FOP labeling and the implementation of an interpretive FOP label compared to a non-interpretive FOP label. The draft guideline also recommends policies to implement nutrient declarations, the inclusion of an ingredients list on prepackaged food consistent with international standards, and the protection from misleading nutrition and health claims on food through regulation of the use of nutrition and health claims. Public comments on the draft guideline are due October 11, 2024.

ATNI Releases Sector Alignment on Use of Nutrient Profile Models Report 

The Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI) published the report, Sector Alignment on the Use of Nutrient Profile Models, to investigate an approach for defining and measuring the healthfulness of food portfolios. The report found that the Nutrient Profile Models (NPMs) Health Star Rating (HSR), Nutri-Score, and the UK NPM, were most appropriate for future investor reporting. Additionally, ATNI provided several reporting recommendations, calling on companies to benchmark their product portfolios against one or more of the three NPMs to better gauge and compare the healthiness of their products and sales.

Fun Fact: Brazil produces about a third of the world's oranges, making it the largest orange producer globally.