CHICAGO, August 25, 2025 — IFMA The Food Away from Home Association launched a new benefit for members: A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative. The report is compiled and written by Dr. Joy Dubost, a renowned food scientist and registered dietitian with strong knowledge of what’s happening on the regulatory front.


MAHA UPDATES

Leaked MAHA Commission’s Second Report 
As reported previously the second report from the MAHA Commission was to be sent to the President’s desk on August 12th. However, a few versions of the report have been leaked to the media and public, which has created quite a stir among MAHA advocates and public health organizations criticizing the report for yielding to the agriculture and food industry. As background, the first MAHA Commission published in May report identified four potential drivers behind the rise in childhood chronic diseases: poor diet, chemical exposure, lack of physical activity and chronic stress, and overmedicalization. The leaked, draft report provides a strategic approach to address these drivers by advancing research, realigning incentives, increasing public awareness, and fostering private sector collaborations. Until the report is officially released changes can be made to this leaked report. White House Spokesman Kush Desai said, “President Trump pledged to Make America Healthy Again, and the Administration is committed to delivering on that pledge with Gold Standard Science. Until officially released by the White House and MAHA Commission, however, any documents purporting to be the second MAHA Report should be disregarded as speculative literature.” Below are a few notable highlights from the 18-page draft report primarily focused on nutrition and health. Of note, there was no mention of seed oils and regulatory action on pesticides.

National Institute of Health (NIH) MAHA Chronic Disease Task Force

Nutrition: NIH will partner with FDA, USDA, and the new Administration for a Healthy America (AHA) to conduct high-quality nutrition research and ingredient assessments. USDA will prioritize how dietary exposures impact individuals, leading to more targeted nutritional recommendations.

Realigning Incentives and Systems to Drive Health Outcomes:


Dietary Guidelines: The USDA and HHS will release the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), aligning with science and healthy recommendations, and reforming DGA processes. USDA and HHS will launch an education campaign based on the updated DGAs. The campaign will expand upon DGAs that prioritize whole foods including protein foods, fruits, and vegetables, minimize highly processed foods and added sugar, and brings awareness to strategies to improve health.

• "Food for Health": Emphasize how proper nutrition prevents and can help reverse chronic diseases and maintain general health.
• "Real Food First": Prioritize whole, minimally processed foods over packaged and highly processed alternatives.
• "Healthy Foods and Healthy Families": Empower families with practical knowledge, including food preparation methods, to make healthy choices regardless of budget or location.

Food Dyes: The FDA will limit petroleum-based food dyes and expedite approval of natural color additives. The USDA will apply the framework to food served through federal nutrition programs, especially the school lunch program.

Post Market Review of Chemical Additives in Food: FDA will continue to develop and implement an enhanced evidence-based systematic process for the post-market assessment of chemicals in food, including food additives, color additives, GRAS substances, substances used in contact with food, and chemicals present as unintentional (for example, environmental) contaminants.

Ultra-Processed Foods: FDA will develop a definition for ultra-processed food (UPF) to support future research and policy activity.

Nutrition Labeling: FDA will consider revisions to its proposed Front-of-Pack Nutrition Information rulemaking based on input received during the comment period and will work toward development of a potential Front-of-Pack Nutrition Information final rule.

GRAS Reform: FDA will update regulations to reform the “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) designation, within the scope of statutory authority, to ensure that all new food additives, meet applicable safety standards with increased transparency.

Improving Food Served to Veterans: The VA will implement the new DGAs for meals served to veterans.

Healthy Food in Hospitals: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service and CDC will update hospital food service guidelines.

Guidelines to Limit the Direct Marketing of Certain Foods to Children: HHS and Federal Trade Commission will explore industry guidelines to limit marketing unhealthy foods to children which includes evaluating the use of misleading claims and imagery.

USDA Nutrition Programs: USDA will use its authorities to prioritize “whole, healthy foods” across its 16 nutrition programs.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): USDA will continue providing states with technical assistance in waiver development and implementation.

MAHA Boxes: USDA will develop options to get whole healthy food to SNAP participants.

Head Start Nutrition: Administration for Children & Families (ACF) and USDA will support the implementation of new DGAs through supporting access to Child & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the National School Breakfast and Lunch programs will provide supplemental funding opportunities.

Early Childhood Nutrition: ACF will partner with the USDA to promote healthy meals in childcare settings.

Food Deregulation
Remove restrictions on whole milk sales in schools, allowing districts to offer full-fat dairy options alongside reduced-fat alternatives and eliminate mandatory reduced-fat requirements in federal nutrition programs (WIC) to allow consumer choice.

Agency Restructuring
HHS will undergo comprehensive reorganization to create the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA), a new agency structure to coordinate and lead the federal government's response to the chronic disease crisis through integrated prevention-focused programs and streamlined accountability.

Increasing Public Awareness and Knowledge
Promote public awareness and knowledge of concerns that effect children and empower parents to make informed choices by increasing transparency and access to reliable health and nutrition information. School Campaign: HHS will work with States and schools across the country to launch a Make American Schools Healthy Again campaign using a toolkit of innovative interventions.

New MAHA Webpage 
HHS has launched MAHA in Action—a new platform showcasing the federal initiatives and state-led reforms. The webpage features updates on federal reforms being implemented across HHS agencies, including removing petroleum-based dyes and additives from the U.S. food supply, closing the GRAS loophole and an interactive map following Secretary Kennedy on state tours.

“Make America Healthy Again isn’t just a slogan—it’s a mission statement, and we’re delivering results, fast,” HHS Secretary Kennedy said. “The MAHA in Action tracker puts the wins on the map. It gives the public, the press, and policymakers real-time visibility into how we’re restoring health, integrity, and accountability to every corner of our public health agency.” HHS also noted the following since Election Day 2024:
  • Twelve states with USDA-approved SNAP waivers restricting products like candy and sugary drinks: Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, West Virginia
  • Eight states banning synthetic dyes or certain additives from school meals: Arizona, Delaware, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia.
  • Two states requiring warning labels on products with unsafe ingredients: Louisiana, Texas
  • Twenty-two states restricting cell phone use in schools to improve the mental and physical health of our children: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia
  • States restricting lab-grown meat, requiring nutrition training for medical students, expanding access to ivermectin, removing fluoride from the water supply, improving physical education standards, and much more.


FDA

Post Market Assessment on Chemicals Update
The FDA updated its list of select chemicals in the food supply that are under review which includes select food ingredients (including food and color additives), food contact substances, and contaminants. Those that have now been added to the list include FD&C Red No. 40, Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, and Green No. 3, Lead, Azodicarbonamide (ADA), Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and Opiate Alkaloids on Poppy Seeds. Those food ingredients already under review include Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO), Titanium Dioxide, Potassium Bromate, Partially Hydrogenated Oil (PHO), and Propylparaben. For the full list including food contact substances, and contaminants under FDA review visit this link.

Allergen Meeting
The FDA will host a virtual public meeting from November 18-20, 2025, to discuss food allergen thresholds and their potential applications. Recent scientific developments have prompted the FDA to explore how these thresholds can improve food safety, labeling practices, and consumer choices. Stakeholders, including industry, consumer groups, and healthcare professionals, have shown interest. Additional details and registration information will be available in September 2025. 

Industry Pledges
FDA has published a new webpage to track industry pledges to remove certified food colors from their products.

 

 

Stay informed with our new page tracking key federal and state policies impacting food-away-from-home. Get timely updates on issues like ultra-processed food definitions and submit feedback to ensure our industry’s voice is heard.

Regulatory & Legislative Developments