Food regulation update November 7: The latest on MAHA and related developments

CHICAGO, November 7, 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.

FEDERAL UPDATES

New Bill Focused on Food Ingredients

Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS), Senators Rick Scott (R-FL) and Katie Britt (R-AL) introduced the Better Food Disclosure Act. This legislation is coming in response to the state-led efforts to address ingredient safety. The bill aims to close the "GRAS Loophole" by requiring mandatory FDA notification for all Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) ingredients—both current and future—and lists them in a public database overseen by the FDA. It also updates processes for post-market review of food additives, color additives, and GRAS substances, specifying reassessment priorities, available safety information, and staff review requirements. “For too long, the FDA has failed to regulate our food industry to the standard that the American people expect and deserve. The Better Food Disclosure Act is another big step towards Making America Health Again. While we remain committed to working with everyone to establish a strong national standard of ingredient safety, we cannot ignore the reality that our current federal oversight is inadequate – and states have stepped up to hold both food companies and Washington accountable. If food truly is medicine, then it’s time we treat it with urgency and seriousness it deserves,” stated Senator Marshall. The one key point missing from the bill is overriding state food regulations to give the power back to FDA. Read the bill here.

Government Program Relief

For the first time on November 1st SNAP benefits which support over 41 million Americans (1 in 8) lapsed because of the government shutdown. Congressional Democrats and anti-hunger advocates urged the USDA to use contingency funds for SNAP payouts. In response, the Administration stated they cannot legally access backup funds to keep SNAP and other similar programs operating. However, A federal judge ordered the USDA to keep the program open. With this the Administration announced it would use $4.65 billion from a USDA contingency fund to partially restore food assistance. According to a court filing, some SNAP participants will receive benefits at their current allotments, but covering only half of what recipients usually receive. But, over the course of the week, the USDA has now stated they will cover 65% of November’s SNAP benefits. It could take weeks or even months for families to receive these reduced benefits. Also, the administration will tap into an unused tariff review to provide $450 million to fund the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, Meanwhile the food industry is stepping up as companies and nonprofits are announcing their commitment to support Americans during this difficult time. For example, Instacart is providing active SNAP users with a 50% discount on grocery orders, with savings up to $50 and DoorDash is delivering one million free meals through food banks while removing fees from 300,000 grocery orders for SNAP recipients at certain stores.

School Meals

Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA-01) introduced the Healthy Meals Help Kids Learn Act, which would permanently raise school meal reimbursement by $0.45 for lunch and $0.28 for breakfast, with annual adjustments. This increase aims to improve school funding, student nutrition, local food sourcing, and support afterschool snack and classroom breakfast programs.

USDA

Advancement of Nominated Appointments

Following confirmation hearings that happened less than a week ago, the Senate Agriculture Committee advanced three of President Trump's nominees for roles within the USDA. The committee approved Mindy Brashears for Undersecretary of Agriculture for Food Safety and John Walk for Inspector General of the department. Yvette Herrell's nomination as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture also progressed. Brashears and Herrell nominations move to the full Senate for consideration, while Walk still is under consideration by the Homeland Security Committee.

New Analysis of SNAP Purchases

A recent analysis released by startup FoodHealth Co indicates that the shopping habits of households participating in SNAP and those not involved in the program are largely comparable. Developed in collaboration with NielsenIQ and based on data from 400 billion grocery purchases spanning 70,000 U.S. households, the report reveals that Americans generally received low scores regarding the healthfulness of their grocery purchases. Additionally, when comparing SNAP and non-SNAP households within similar income brackets, the analysis found that SNAP participants exhibited marginally healthier purchasing patterns. Notably, among households earning less than $30,000 annually, those receiving SNAP benefits scored higher on the FoodHealth Score. These findings are especially pertinent as the Trump administration considers new restrictions on eligible purchases under SNAP. While the results corroborate earlier research, there continues to be limited transparency regarding specific food items purchased with SNAP benefits. For more information visit here.

MAHA

MAHA’s Blow to Industry

Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) has removed a section from his recently released food additive bill (see above) that would have overridden state food regulations, marking a significant victory for the MAHA movement. Prominent MAHA supporters have strongly opposed any effort to block state laws, claiming it would undermine the movement and all the success they have achieved at the state level with various MAHA friendly legislation. Marshall has spent several months developing the food additive reform proposal, which was previously expected to include provisions for nationwide uniformity giving the power back to FDA by overriding state laws. This is a blow to the newly formed Americans for Ingredient Transparency which was previously reported on by IFMA. Read more about this latest development here.

NIH Meeting

On Wednesday, November 19th the MAHA Institute is hosting a round table entitled Reclaiming Science: The People’s NIH with NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and leading scientists from across our federal health agencies speaking. The meeting will explore how NIH is working to restore public trust, uphold gold-standard scientific inquiry, and end dangerous experimental practices. Speakers will engage in thoughtful discussions on their shared commitment to radical transparency, open data, and replicable science, and what these shifts mean for the future of American research integrity. Register for this in-person event in Washington DC using the invitation code "ACTION". Learn more and register here.