Letter from the Editor: Food safety policy changes and the MAHA agenda — both good and bad

– NOTICE –

“It was the best time, it was the worst time, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of madness …”

It is hard to believe that it was a little over three years ago when Politico News by Washington DC published a long investigation report on the breakdown of the FDA in food security. The report represented bureaucrats at war, problems that had not been resolved for years but which have rather been launched on the road, and a crisis which led to a shortage of formula of critical baby.

Reorganization was the FDA’s answer to the many political questions raised in this report. However, there was no urgency to approach or resolve the political debates raised by politico or others. The FDA worked as usual on its calendar.

Then, on February 13, 2025, the date on which the American Senate confirmed Robert F Kennedy Jr. as secretary to health and social services, all hell came off. The program “Make America Healthy Again” that RFK Jr. brought with him means that everything is on the table. The days of slowly march FDA policy for certain regions were completed.

Since then, it has been like trying to drink from a fire hose – oil -based additives have come out, food coupons are limited to buy food with nutritional value, rather than candy and soda, and grains, sugars and ultra -tangles are targeted.

By decree, a Making America Healthy Again commission was formed with a difficult mission to challenge. Americans, especially children, suffer from a range of chronic diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.

The concerns about the health of children have caused an in -depth examination of various substances, including artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, success and saccharin, as well as colors and preservatives such as titanium dioxide, propylparaben and butylée hydroxytoluène.

Even the generally recognized so-called FDA database is generally recognized (fat). The fatty database includes several hundred substances which, at one time or another, have been added to the safe list without any FDA exam.

And in the most important reformulation movement since cocaine was removed from Coca-Cola, the response of the food industry is responsible. One after the other, food companies reformulate their products to eliminate artificial dyes and other ingredients, which makes them safer.

The list of large food companies joining what the industry calls “large reformulation” is developing longer from day to day, including notable names such as Pepsico, McCormick, Kraft Heinz and Archer Daniels Midland.

These developments could be the “best time”, but there is much more concern. And if RFK Jr. has a partner to make America in good health again (Maha), it is the Secretary of Agriculture Brook Rollins. Is there a relationship, perhaps you rightly ask between employment levels and food security?

If there is such a relationship, how do the staff reductions of 16,000 at USDA and 3,500 at HHS contribute to or hinder food security? These figures were launched due to “waste, fraud and abuse” earlier this year. We do not know if they remain exact. The USDA (FSIS) security and inspection service was supposed to be mainly spared. We know a former FDA public information personnel who has disseminated information on food of food origin and food reminders are no longer there as well as some who have worked in the laboratory.

In terms of policies, the FSIs have canceled the Salmonella regulations for raw poultry, an action sought by industry. The FSIS said that it had withdrawn the rule due to the comments received during the commentary period.

So good and evil can come from all this. But the slow and progressive change that generally marks food security policy is over, at least for a while. RFK Jr. arrived with the Maha agenda. Can anyone remember a previous HHS boss who came with a public program? I cannot, and I must admit that I like this approach a little.

(To register for a free subscription to Food Safety News, Click here.)