Food & Nutrition
Registration Opens for Fourth 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Meeting
Registration is open to attend the fourth public meeting of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) on January 19, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST. During the meeting, the Committee will provide subcommittee updates, including presentations by each subcommittee, and deliberation by the full Committee regarding progress made since the third public meeting, including protocol development, evidence review and synthesis, draft conclusion statements, and plans for future Committee work. The final two Committee public meetings will be held on May 30 and September 26, 2024.
FDA Finalizes Reorganization Proposal for Unified Human Foods Program
FDA announced the agency has completed its proposed reorganization package in its efforts to create a unified Human Foods Program (HFP) and new Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) model. The announcement includes new details about the proposed structure, an update on the status of activities, and a timeline for next steps. Building on previous agency announcements about the reorganization, new structural changes were also incorporated into the proposal and is now under review at HHS. In addition to HHS’ review, there are several steps remaining before the agency can implement the proposed reorganization. These steps include review by the Office of Management and Budget, providing Congress with a 30-day notification period, issuing a Federal Register notice, and engaging in all necessary negotiations with Unions representing impacted staff. The agency expects to finalize the proposal in the 2024 calendar year and will continue to engage with stakeholders throughout the process to finalize the proposal.
FDA Publishes Revision to Menu Labeling Supplemental Draft Guidance
FDA published a draft second revision proposing updates to the agency’s existing menu labeling guidance, Menu Labeling: Supplemental Guidance for Industry, published in May 2018. The draft guidance updates the guidance to include two new questions and answers regarding voluntarily declaring added sugars as part of the additional written nutrition information for standard menu items provided to a customer upon request and voluntarily providing nutrition information consistent with the menu labeling requirements through third-party platforms. FDA encourages covered establishments to voluntarily disclose the gram amount of added sugars for standard menu items as part of their written nutrition information to align the draft guidance with the requirement that added sugars be declared on the Nutrition Facts label for packaged foods. Comments on this draft guidance are due February 12, 2024.
Congress Introduces Bill to Require Mandatory FOP Nutrition Labeling
Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the Transparency, Readability, Understandability, Truth, and Helpfulness (TRUTH) in Labeling Act. The bill, introduced in both the House and Senate, would direct FDA to develop mandatory front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labels, consistent with the Nutrition Facts label and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The legislation would require a standardized FOP nutrition labeling system that displays calorie and interpretive nutrition information, distinguishing products that contain nutrients of concern, including added sugar, sodium, and saturated fat. According to the recently published Fall 2023 Unified Agenda, FDA intends to publish a proposed rule that would require FOP nutrition labeling as early as June 2024.
World Economic Forum Publishes Food System Transformation Report
The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Accenture, published the report, Transforming the Global Food System for Human Health and Resilience. The report, integrating public, private and community sectors, addresses increasing the availability, access, and adoption of ‘nutritious’ food choices that are in alignment with global sustainability objectives. The initiative proposes strategies for healthier diets, emphasizing nutrient-rich, minimally processed, predominantly plant-based foods for widespread adoption by 2035. Additionally, the report highlights the recent evidence and negative impact of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) on health, emphasizing that UPFs represent over 50% of calories consumed in developed countries and constitute approximately 40% of calories consumed globally. The report calls for collaborative, cross-sector efforts to transform food systems and policies for a more sustainable food landscape with improved global health outcomes.
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