CHICAGO, August 04, 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
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
HHS Secretary Kennedy, Jr. attended the National Governors Association Summer Meeting where he noted in his fireside chat (more details below) that the Dietary Guidelines will be out before the end of year but preferably end of October. He also stated the Guidelines will “stress the need to eat saturated fats, dairy, of good meat, of fresh meat and vegetables.” In addition, Kennedy stated “When we release those, it will give everybody the rationale for driving it into our schools. It will change diets in prison populations, in the military and elsewhere. It’s a new opportunity to reboot and change the diets in our schools.”
USDA
Secretary Rollins announced late last week plans for a restructuring which includes closing several DC buildings and shifting staff to five offices around the country. The reorganization consists of four pillars: 1) Ensure the size of USDA’s workforce aligns with available financial resources & agricultural priorities 2) Bring USDA closer to those they support 3) Eliminate management layers and bureaucracy 4) Consolidate redundant support functions The Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing on July 30th to explore this announced reorganization plan.
Administration for Children & Families
In line with the MAHA agenda, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announced the availability of one-time supplemental funding to support nutrition services and promote healthy eating for children and families enrolled in nationwide Head Start programs. The supplemental funding will allow Head Start programs to make significant improvements to their nutrition services through four key areas:
• Food Service Upgrades
• Materials, Supplies, and Equipment
• Nutrition Education Resources
• Non-Recurring Personnel Costs
Link for more information
CDC
Susan Monarez, Ph.D., was sworn in as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Director Monarez, the first Senate-confirmed director of the CDC. As CDC Director, she will lead the agency in its renewed mission to prevent disease and defend against health threats at home and abroad. Director Monarez most recently served as Acting Director of CDC and Deputy Director for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, where she transformed the HHS operating division’s data collection, disease detection and treatment technologies. She has held previous leadership and advisory roles with Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority at HHS, the Department of Homeland Security, the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the National Security Council.
FDA UPDATE
Produce Safety Roadmap
The Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA released its Roadmap to Produce Safety: Summary Report of the Produce Safety Dialogue. The FDA-commissioned report reflects the collective input of over 170 produce sector stakeholders, who developed this roadmap for transformative change in the management of produce safety. The report makes two primary recommendations: 1) Implement a shared responsibility approach where all stakeholders must actively participate in risk-based produce safety efforts. 2) Form a structured, stakeholder-led collaboration.
Interview with FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary
Dr. Makary sat down with Politico’s reporter Dasha Burns to discuss FDA priorities and progress made to date with MAHA priorities. The conversation focused on the success of voluntary food industry commitments including removal of the 9 artificial food dyes made by select food companies along with FDA approval of 4 natural dyes with two pending approvals in the next couple of months. Of note, he applauded the Consumer Brands Association for making the commitment to remove artificial dyes and noted he recently met with Mars Inc. leadership to discuss their “hold out” of removing artificial food dyes. He highlighted Mars is removing titanium dioxide and applauded them for this effort but faces challenges in removing all artificial food dyes.
Dr. Makary noted that FDA will have a part in the pending MAHA Commission’s report with FDA using their convening power to obtain input on the definition of the ultra-processed foods. He noted there is no “perfect” definition for UPF and it may take several attempts, but they are up for the challenge. Interestingly he said he is not feeling any pressure from food industry or other branches of government but wants to hear from the food industry. As it pertains to the pending Dietary Guidelines, he noted that they will be ending the “war on fat” that has occurred over the last 70 years by moving the focus away from saturated fat and shifting the focus on reducing intake of refined carbohydrates. In closing the interview Dr. Makary declared the FDA is “strong.” The full interview can be found here.
Tool for Chemicals in Foods
In March 2024, the FDA submitted the Expanded Decision Tree (EDT) for external peer-review which collected input from external scientific experts. Based on this input, FDA has updated and released its EDT chemical toxicity and risk screening tool which FDA notes, "provides a consistent, systematic, and science-based approach to support evaluation of the safety of chemicals in food based on their structure and estimated toxicity." The EDT is expected to eventually be used in both pre- and post-market evaluation of chemicals in food to help ensure the food supply remains safe. FDA will engage with stakeholders and the public for further feedback on the tool.
STATE & MAHA UDPATES
Republican Governors Association
On July 22, Secretary Kennedy was in Colorado to attend the Republican Governors Association’s quarterly meeting. In a discussion moderated by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Kennedy joined the governors of Louisiana and Indiana to highlight how Republican governors are actively partnering with the Trump administration to advance the MAHA agenda.
National Governors Association & Kennedy’s Interview
On July 26, Secretary Kennedy attended the National Governors Association summer meeting in Colorado where he highlighted growing state momentum behind the MAHA agenda. He led bipartisan discussions with state governors and headlined a fireside chat with Tennessee Governor Lee. Secretary Kennedy started the discussion with laying out the primary health issues facing this country noting that “sugar and ultra-processed foods” are major reasons for driving up the rates of obesity and chronic disease in children and adults. He firmly stated that “we are poisoning our children.” He applauded the initiatives of some states that are taking action to address chronic disease and encouraged all states to apply for SNAP waivers to remove sugar sweetened beverages and other sugary products like candy. He also noted that California has a bill that is moving through the legislative process which proposes a “very good definition” of ultra-processed foods. In addition, he stated that 40% of the food industry is voluntarily removing artificial food dyes which is primarily in response to states taking action by requiring food companies to remove these food dyes. He noted state-driven regulatory action has created nationwide momentum to support the MAHA agenda. The full interview can be found here.