​By Professor Susan A. Schneider

Note that there may be additional food updates posted for Chapter XI, Food and Agriculture

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Documents & Links

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For nutrition and food security issues, see Chapter 11, Food & Agriculture.

 

General Resources: Recent Reports

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• ​GAO Report: Food Safety: Status of Foodborne Illness in the U.S., GAO-25-107606 (Q&A Report to Congress) Feb. 3, 2025

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• Food Safety: USDA Should Take Additional Actions to Strengthen Oversight of Meat and Poultry [Reissued with revisions on Jan. 23, 2025]
  GAO-25-107613 Published: Jan 22, 2025. 

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• Food Safety: FDA Should Strengthen Inspection Efforts to Protect the U.S. Food Supply
  GAO-25-107571 Published: Jan 08, 2025.

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HHS Department Developments and General Actions

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Food Safety and "Make America Healthy Again" 

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• Major Reduction in HHS employees: RFK Jr. "I'm Fighting chronic disease, slashing fat at HHS, HHS Press Release (Apr. 10, 2025)

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• HHS Announces Transformation to Make American Healthy Again, HHS Press Release (Mar. 27, 2025) (announcing major restructuring plan for HHS); see also, HHS Cuts 10,000 employees in major overhaul of health agencies, CNN (Mar. 27, 2025); Reorganization plan criticized by CSPI, FDA Floats Chaotic Reorganization as Staff Purges Continue (Apr 7, 2025)

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• ​Pushback Over Cutting Local Food Grants: How Does Cutting Local Food Programs Help Make America Healthy Again?  Editorial by Chris Clayton, Progressive Farmer (Mar. 17, 2025) (see Local Food, above)

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• Are beef tallow fries any healthier? These nutritionists say don't kid yourself, NPR (Mar. 14, 2025)

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• RFK Jr. tells food leaders he wants artificial dyes removed from food products before he leaves office, ABC News (Mar. 11, 2025)

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• HHS Secretary Kennedy Directs FDA to Explore Rulemaking to Eliminate Pathway for Companies to Self-Affirm Food Ingredients Are Safe, HHS Press Release (Mar. 10, 2025)

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• Firing of HHS probationary employees, with food system implications: Administration terminating employees at FDA and CDC; some food safety jobs likely impacted, Food Safety News (Feb. 18, 2025)

• Jim Jones, Deputy Commissioner of the FDA Human Foods Program resigned, citing the firings. Bloomberg News and the Washington Post quote the following from his resignation letter: 

“I was looking forward to working to pursue the Department’s agenda of improving the health of Americans by reducing diet-related chronic disease and risks from chemicals in food.”  

“It has been increasingly clear that with the Trump Administration’s disdain for the very people necessary to implement your agenda, however, it would have been fruitless for me to continue in this role.”

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Jones had received credit for advancing the FDA human foods initiatives including banning FD&C Red Dye #3, finalizing the definition of "healthy," and proposing front-of-pack labeling. From Bloomberg News:

Jones’s departure will “set back efforts to make food safer,” said Scott Faber, senior vice president of government affairs at Environmental Working Group. “There is no one on earth who can replace the chemical safety expertise that Jim brought to this job."

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• Executive Order establishing MAHA Commission; Executive Order, Establishing the President's Make America Healthy Again Commission (Feb. 13, 2025). In addition to the creation of a commission composed of many of the cabinet heads, the order declares:

"To fully address the growing health crisis in America, we must re-direct our national focus, in the public and private sectors, toward understanding and drastically lowering chronic disease rates and ending childhood chronic disease.  This includes fresh thinking on nutrition, physical activity, healthy lifestyles, over-reliance on medication and treatments, the effects of new technological habits, environmental impacts, and food and drug quality and safety.  We must restore the integrity of the scientific process by protecting expert recommendations from inappropriate influence and increasing transparency regarding existing data.  We must ensure our healthcare system promotes health rather than just managing disease."

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• Jim Jones, Deputy Commissioner of the FDA Human Foods Program resigned, citing the firings. Bloomberg News and the Washington Post quote the following from his resignation letter: 

“I was looking forward to working to pursue the Department’s agenda of improving the health of Americans by reducing diet-related chronic disease and risks from chemicals in food.”  

“It has been increasingly clear that with the Trump Administration’s disdain for the very people necessary to implement your agenda, however, it would have been fruitless for me to continue in this role.”

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Jones had received credit for advancing the FDA human foods initiatives including banning FD&C Red Dye #3, finalizing the definition of "healthy," and proposing front-of-pack labeling. From Bloomberg News: 

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Jones’s departure will “set back efforts to make food safer,” said Scott Faber, senior vice president of government affairs at Environmental Working Group. “There is no one on earth who can replace the chemical safety expertise that Jim brought to this job."

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Recent Information and Actions related to Food Safety​ Subject to FDA Regulation​

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• FDA announces series of actions regarding infant formula supply: HHS, FDA Announce Operation Stork Speed to Expand Options for Safe, Reliable, and Nutritious Infant Formula for American Families, HHS FDA Press Release (Mar. 18, 2025)

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• Confirmation of Martin Makary as FDA Commissioner (Mar. 13, 2025)

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• Infant Formula Strategy released: 

Long-Term National Strategy to Increase the Resiliency of the U.S. Infant Formula Market (focusing on the "long-term goal of achieving a more robust and nimble U.S. infant formula supply") (Jan. 10, 2025)

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• Lead guidance released:

Guidance for Industry: Action Levels for Lead in Processed Food Intended for Babies and Young Children (Jan. 2025)

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• Animal Food Industry consultation:

Guidance for Industry (GFI) #294: Animal Food Ingredient Consultation (AFIC)

(Jan. 2025)

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Recent Information and Actions related to Food Safety​ Subject to USDA Regulation

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• Consumer Reports: The most contaminated poultry plants in the U.S. (Feb. 25, 2025); Results described in Consumer Reports unveils the most contaminated poultry plants in the U.S., Food Safety News (Mar. 19, 2025)

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• USDA announces allowance of increased line speeds for poultry and pork processing plants, Secretary Rollins Takes Action to Streamline U.S. Pork and Poultry Processing, (Mar. 17, 2025)

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• Notification of Public Meetings regarding new Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry Products, 89 Fed. Reg. 92,607 (Nov. 22, 2024) (to be held on Dec. 3 and 5, 2024); Note that proposed rule under consideration are discussed at p. 707 and found at 89 Fed. Reg. 64,678 (Aug. 7, 2024). The date for public comments on the proposed rule was extended until Jan. 17, 2025.

  • Food Safety News reports that two Republican Congressmen have proposed a bill that would prevent FSIS from finalizing its rule. Republicans want to prevent USDA from implementing rule to control Salmonella, Food Safety News (Feb. 23, 2025).

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• Request for Information on Food Date Labeling; jointly published by FSIS and FDA at 89 Fed. Reg. 96,205 (Dec. 4, 2024) (Notice; request for comments; comments due by Feb. 3, 2025).

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Special Issue: H5N1 Avian Flu:

 

• U.S. Egg Production and Retail Prices, Cong. Res. Serv. In Focus Rep. IF12949 (Mar. 26, 2025)

• H5N1 Avian Influenza: The Human Health Response, Cong. Res.Serv. In Focus Rep. IF12895 (Mar. 12, 2025)

• USDA Invests Up To $1 Billion to Combat Avian Flu and Reduce Egg Prices, USDA Press Release (Feb. 26, 2025)

• ​Investigation of Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus in Dairy Cattle, FDA (updated regularly)

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• News items of particular interest:

• • Kennedy’s Alarming Prescription for Bird Flu on Poultry Farms, NY Times (Mar. 18, 2025)

  • 1A, NPR broadcast, The Possibility of a Bird Flu Pandemic (Feb. 20, 2025)

  • Company Says it Received Conditional Approval for Bird Flu Vaccine from USDA, CNN Health (Feb. 16, 2025)

  • How Close Are We to Another Pandemic? The Daily Podcast, NY Times

 

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