Food & Nutrition

House Appropriations Committee Releases FY25 Ag-FDA Appropriations Act

The House Appropriations Committee released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations bill for the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, providing $25.87 billion in discretionary funding across the agencies. The bill contains ​​discretionary and mandatory funding for USDA, including $31.74 billion for child nutrition programs, $7.23 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and $123.16 billion in mandatory funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The bill also provides $6.75 billion in total and $3.5 billion in discretionary funding for FDA. Notably, the bill contains a rider allowing states to voluntarily participate in a pilot program that would test restrictions limiting what foods can or cannot be purchased with SNAP benefits. Following the release, the Subcommittee held a markup in which House Republicans advanced the appropriations bill on a party-line vote. The bill’s House Appropriations full Committee markup is scheduled for July 10, 2024.

Senate Agriculture Committee Releases Draft Republican Farm Bill Framework

Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR) released the Committee's Republican-drafted farm bill framework with priorities for inclusion in the forthcoming 2024 farm bill. The Senate Republican framework, closely mirroring the House Agriculture Committee’s draft farm bill that advanced out of Committee in May 2024, includes language that would require future Thrifty Food Plan updates to be cost-neutral, allow all forms of fruits and vegetables to be eligible under the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), allow milk, yogurt, and cheese in the Dairy Nutrition Incentive program, and bolster Buy American requirements across nutrition programs, among others. The House and Senate intend to pass a bipartisan farm bill ahead of the September 30 deadline. However, partisan disagreements over nutrition policies may drive lawmakers to consider a possible farm bill extension.

House Introduces Bills to Restrict Select Food Dyes and High-Fructose Corn Syrup

Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) introduced a legislative package that would classify foods containing certain color additives and high-fructose corn syrup as adulterated in the food supply. The first bill in the legislative package, the Do or Dye Act, would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) to classify foods containing color additives such as Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 as adulterated. The second bill, the Stop Spoonfuls of Fake Sugar Act, would also amend the FD&C Act to classify foods containing high-fructose corn syrup as adulterated. These bills seek to restrict these identified food dyes and the use of high-fructose corn syrup in foods produced in the U.S.

Agriculture

USDA, FDA, EPA, Publish National Strategy to Reduce Food Loss and Waste

USDA, FDA, and EPA announced the release of the Biden Administration's National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics. The National Strategy outlines specific EPA, USDA, and FDA actions across four key objectives to prevent the loss and waste of food and other organic wastes, reducing associated environmental impacts such as methane pollution. The actions detailed in the National Strategy intend to help the U.S. meet its National Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal to reduce the loss and waste of food by 50% by 2030 and support the White House U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan. The National Strategy incorporates public comments received during the Administration's comment period for the Draft National Strategy released in December 2023.

Global

WHO to Launch Guideline on Fiscal Policies to Promote Healthy Diets

The World Health Organization (WHO) is hosting a webinar for the launch of the agency’s new guideline on fiscal policies to promote healthy diets on June 14, 2024. The guideline will provide Member States with evidence-based recommendations and implementation considerations on fiscal policies to promote healthy diets. The recommendations of the guideline were formulated based on analyses of scientific studies on the effectiveness of implemented fiscal policies, such as taxation of foods and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and subsidies on foods that contribute to a healthy diet. 

WHO Publishes Report on Processed Food Impact on NCDs in European Region

WHO published the report, Commercial Determinants of Noncommunicable Diseases in the WHO European Region, which examines the impact of commercial determinants on noncommunicable diseases (‎NCDs)‎ in the WHO European Region. The report estimated that 34% of NCD deaths in the Region are attributable to ultra-processed foods (UPFs), alcohol, tobacco, and fossil fuels. WHO also estimated that of all deaths attributed to commercial products and practices in the European Region, approximately 1.06% are linked to diets high in processed meat, 2.27% to sodium, 0.14% to sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), and 0.05% to trans fatty acids. The report calls on Member States to address the threat of NCDs by enforcing regulations at the individual, environmental, public policy, and political-economic system levels across various areas, including the restriction of harmful food and beverage marketing practices and the taxation of SSBs. 

UNICEF Publishes Child Food Poverty Report and Highlights Threat of UPFs

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released the report, Child Food Poverty: Nutrition Deprivation in Early Childhood, which examines the status, trends, inequities, and drivers of child food poverty in early childhood. The report attributes the increasing global rate of child food poverty to rising food prices, the overabundance of 'unhealthy' foods, harmful food marketing strategies, and poor child feeding practices. UNICEF highlights that the rapid growth of nutrient-poor ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in low and middle-income countries poses a threat to child nutrition, increasing the risk of child malnutrition and displacing nutritious local foods from children's diets. The report calls on national governments and other entities to ensure food environments make nutritious foods accessible and affordable and that the food and beverage industry complies with policies to protect children from ‘unhealthy’ foods and beverages.

Portugal Issues Decree to Revoke Implementation of Nutri-Score

Portugal's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Development announced that the country will revoke the implementation of the front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labeling scheme Nutri-Score following the country's April 2024 endorsement of the scheme. The Ministry published a decree stating its reservations about the Nutri-Score scheme and clarified that food labeling is the responsibility of the General Directorate of Food and Veterinary (DGAV), which was not consulted in the process. Portugal's Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, José Manuel Fernandes, questioned the legality of the former decree as the DGAV stated that the FOP nutrition labeling scheme may lead to ‘confusing classifications’ without considering the model of Portuguese food products. This announcement comes as a forthcoming proposal to harmonize FOP nutrition labeling across the EU remains uncertain.

Fun Fact: The average strawberry has approximately 200 seeds.