CHICAGO, July 17, 2025 — The Trump Administration has proposed revoking 52 standards governing what’s in food products ranging from canned peaches to specialty pastas, saying the requirements are obsolete and unnecessary.
The targeted measures account for about a fifth of what’s known as Standards of Identity (SOIs), or the definitions that allow a product to be sold as a certain item, such as low-sodium Colby cheese or vegetable noodles.
The Department of Health and Human Resources (HHS) said in announcing its proposal that 23 categories of food products would be affected. They include bakery items, macaroni and noodle products, canned fruit juices, fish and shellfish, and food dressings and flavorings.
There was no distinction made between products sold to food-away-from-home outlets and consumer goods available in supermarkets.
In each instance, HHS said, the composition of the affected items no longer needs to be policed by regulators. The reason usually cited by the department was the lack of a significant market within the U.S. for the products and virtual standardization of the core ingredients by the manufacturers who produce them.
It cited the example of 11 artificially sweetened canned fruits, ranging from figs to seedless grapes to pineapple. HHS asserted that the items cannot even be found today in grocery stores.
Nor does there need to be validation that other canned fruits are artificially sweetened if they’re processed with saccharine instead of sugar, the department said. In all, the seven standards set for manufacturers of those products would be vacated.
HHS singled out canned fruits for what it called a “companion” proposed rule change, saying the fallback could come into play if the broader rollback of standards draws resistance from the public during the usual commentary period for a suggested regulatory update.
The discontinuation of the standards is part of President Donald Trump’s drive to eliminate unneeded federal regulations and not a component of the administration’s Make America Healthy Again initiative, HHS indicated.
“Today marks a crucial step in my drive to cut through bureaucratic red tape, increase transparency and remove regulations that have outlived their purpose,” commented HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
The department also contended the rollback should cut manufacturers’ costs and the time needed to get new products to market, since processors will no longer need to prove they’re meeting unneeded standards.
“It is common sense to revoke them and move to a more judicious use of food standards and agency resources,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary.
The proposed rule changes have been published in the Federal Register. Members of the public will have 60 days, or until Sept. 15, to submit comments on the proposals to the FDA.
As Managing Editor for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Romeo is responsible for generating the group's news and feature content. He brings more than 40 years of experience in covering restaurants to the position.