Food and Drug Administration

Fusing The Best of Regenerative Ag and Smart Farming: Senator Marshall’s Take on MAHA

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 14:22:10 GMT

Having grown up as a Kansas fifth generation farm kid and spending many years as a physician, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, R-Kan., views the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda through a different lens than many of his Beltway colleagues.

“I delivered a baby every day for some 25 years in my hometown,” Marshall says. “And certainly, diet and nutrition are so, so, so important. When I came to Congress, this was one of the things I wanted to address. And I want to start by saying there’s no MAHA without American agriculture leadership.”

RELATED: MAHA Report’s Surprising Stance on Glyphosate, Atrazine Explained

While much of the recent reporting around MAHA focuses on unpacking the movement’s outwardly anti-pesticide bent , Marshall has fashioned his own, more conventional ag-friendly version covering four distinct pillars:

Increase American agricultural efficiency
Grow healthier, nutrient rich food
Unlock affordable health care access for millions of Americans
Focus on health care resources to combat the mental health epidemic

“I believe soil health leads to healthy food, which leads to healthy people,” Marshall says. “I hear the MAHA group and I hear the ag folks. I have a foot in each of those worlds, and I am trying to bring them together. Because guess what? American agriculture wants healthy children just as much as anybody.”

RELATED: Decode MAHA’s Potential Effect on the Agriculture Sector

Marshall believes MAHA can achieve that goal by embracing some – but not all – of the regenerative ag principles Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., espoused on the campaign trail. American farmers are already reducing chemical use with tools like selective spraying systems and mechanical weeding implements, but the senator knows there’s still meat on that bone. He views it less as a return to “40 acres and a mule” and more as a combination of pieces and parts from the regenerative ag playbook with precision ag technology generously sprinkled into the mix.

“Regenerative ag should be centered around precision ag and growing more with less,” he says. “We’re already using 60% less fertilizers and less pesticides. I think we must continue to decrease the amount of fertilizers and pesticides, so there’s less residue on that loaf of bread in the grocery store.”

Marshall is currently rallying Congressional support for the bipartisan Plant Biostimulant Act. This yet-to-be-ratified farm policy would streamline the FDA approval process under FIFRA for new, novel and natural modes of action. But the senator emphasizes the program must remain voluntary.

“About 5% of the farm bill is conservation practices,” he says. “So, I would streamline the FDA process and allow these biostimulants to be one of the options. It’s not a subsidy, though. I just want to make the regulatory process easier. And that’s going to make it more affordable, as well.”

More MAHA: 250-Plus Ag Groups Ask Trump Administration To ‘Correct’ MAHA Commission’s ‘Activities’

Another goal is for the American producer to embrace best-in-class crop production and sustainability practices. The Kansas senator points to one example from his home state as the creative and nimble thinking he wants to see American farmers embrace.

“We have a group of sorghum growers that have their own mill,” Marshall says. “And they’re selling that flour directly to the infant formula (companies) as well as to European markets. The EU has higher standards, so to speak, than America does, and so be it. I don’t know if they’re necessary, but I don’t make the rules. These Kansas farmers have cracked the code and they’re getting a premium for their sorghum right now, and all it takes is a little extra effort.”

Your Next Read: Can Pulse Crops Double Acreage by 2030? The Push to Include More Pulses in the MAHA Movement

5 Reasons Consumer Distrust In Our Food Supply Is Rising

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 20:38:14 GMT

Bread, check. Blueberries, check. As I wheel my grocery cart alongside the deli case, I’m taken aback at what I see. Rather, it is what I don’t see that has me wondering, “What in the world?” This section of my favorite grocery store is now almost completely empty, except for a couple of ham loaves and a renegade block of cheese.

In a slightly distraught tone I ask the worker behind the counter, “What’s going on?” He hesitates for a moment, then replies, “The store is in the process of changing suppliers for our deli products. We should have more of a selection next week.” Then it dawns on me: my favorite brand of deli meat and cheese, Boar’s Head, has officially been blacklisted by my go-to grocery store.

I should not have been surprised. Boar’s Head began its fall from public grace on July 26, 2024, when the company issued a recall for more than 207,528 lb. of product due to potential listeria contamination. The CDC linked the contamination to 61 illnesses and, tragically, 10 deaths. It was the worst listeria outbreak in the U.S. in over a decade.

The outbreak was ultimately traced to a production line at the company’s Jarratt, Va., plant. According to USDA inspection reports, which USA Today had to obtain through a Freedom of Information Act request, 69 reports of non-compliance were recorded at the Jarratt plant between 2023 and 2024. What was in those reports was unsettling. Documentation of insects live and dead, black and green mold, mildew, dripping and standing water, as well as other unsanitary conditions within the plant in the weeks leading up to the July recall. In a move that was too little too late, Boar’s Head announced on Sept. 13, 2024 that the Jarratt plant would be closed permanently.

In 1906, Upton Sinclair published his famous novel “The Jungle,” which exposed the horrific conditions in the meatpacking industry at the time. The writer’s work proved to be an instant bestseller to the masses. The irony is that nearly 120 years later, one might find it hard to discern whether they’re reading a current USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) report or a chapter straight out of “The Jungle.”

Just One Of Many
The Boar’s Head case was only one the high profile food recalls last year. Remember the E. coli contaminated onions on McDonald’s quarter pounders? Then, Costco issued a massive recall on their Kirkland Signature brand of organic eggs because of a threat of Salmonella. And to cap off the year with the scariest illness yet, on Dec. 18, 2024, the CDC confirmed a patient in Louisiana had been hospitalized with the nation’s first severe case of avian influenza A (H5N1) virus, aka the “bird flu.”

If it seems that the number of food recalls are coming at us at a more fast and furious pace than ever, then your gut instinct is spot on. The Food and Drug Administration, which reports food and cosmetics together, says 1,908 such products were recalled in the fiscal year that ended in September. That’s the highest number since 2019. Such a constant barrage of warnings is having a serious affect on consumers’ overall psyche — and not in a positive way. According to a September 2024 Gallup report, only 57% of Americans say they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in the government to keep food safe. This number is a 27 point decrease since 2019, and is a record low for the Gallup Consumption Habits Poll since its inception in 1999.

This explosion of 20th century foodborne illnesses has me asking the same question I asked the worker behind the deli counter: “What’s going on?”

5 Reasons To Be Skeptical
There are multiple reasons consumers have good reason to be less confident in the safety of their food.

First, there’s the government. Second, more and more of our food is imported, which makes it harder to inspect. Third, you have a growing quest for more natural food, which sometimes circumvents traditional inspection channels. Fourth, industry consolidation means only a handful of players control both the production and processing. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but if something goes wrong, it’s probably going to be big. Finally, we now have the ability, through more technology and data, to find, detect and isolate the specific source of contamination and document it.

Time For An Overhaul
Food safety policy and implementation at the government level is in need of a serious overhaul. There is a chance it could actually happen. In 2018, the previous Trump administration proposed consolidating federal food oversight into a single agency with USDA.

There are so many common sense things that a fully functioning food agency could do. For one, start with better and more noticeable country of origin labeling (COOL) on imported foods. It should be prominent, displaying the country’s flag as the primary indicator of origin. If nothing else, we’ll all get better at geography. Next, companies that embrace new technologies that prevent contamination should be rewarded with tax credits. We do it for electric cars. Why not for safer food?

Finally, the most important change needs to come in the form of accountability and transparency both from the food industry itself and the government that regulates it. That didn’t happen in the case of Boar’s Head, and 10 people lost their lives because of it. In the age of AI and social media, those FSIS plant inspection reports should be posted on platforms such as X and Facebook for the public to see in real time. Without such transparency, we’re no better off than we were back in 1906.

FDA Proposes New Front-of-Package Food Labeling to Help Consumers Make Healthier Food Choices

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 16:58:33 GMT

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed a new front-of-package (FOP) labeling rule aimed at helping consumers make healthier food choices quickly and easily. This “Nutrition Info box,” a black-and-white design, will display levels of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars, categorized as “Low,” “Med,” or “High,” along with the percent Daily Value for each nutrient.

Based on extensive research involving nearly 10,000 U.S. adults, this initiative seeks to complement the existing Nutrition Facts label and simplify decision-making for shoppers. If finalized, large manufacturers would have three years to comply, while smaller businesses (less than $10 million in annual food sales) would have four.

Example of Proposed Info Box

(FDA )

The FDA anticipates this measure will empower consumers, encourage healthier product formulations, and contribute to reducing chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

“For example, when comparing yogurt, the Nutrition Info box could help them identify a yogurt that is lower in added sugars,” said FDA in a statement.

Public comments on the proposal are open until May 16, 2025.

This new label is designed to complement the existing Nutrition Facts label found on the back of food packages, providing a more accessible and quick-reference guide for consumers.

FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D., emphasized the importance of this proposal, stating, “It is time we make it easier for consumers to glance, grab and go. Adding front-of-package nutrition labeling to most packaged foods would do that.”

FDA also says that by displaying simplified, at-a-glance, nutrition information that details and interprets the saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar content of a food as “Low,” “Med,” or “High” on the front of food packages would provide consumers with an accessible description of the numerical information found in the Nutrition Facts label.

What are other examples of what the nutrition info boxes could look like? FDA provided the examples below.

Examples of nutrition box info.

(FDA)

FDA Approves Lab-Grown Chicken for the First Time

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 20:57:22 GMT

The FDA approved lab-grown chicken for the first time, greenlighting products from startup Upside Foods for human consumption. If Upside gets USDA approval next, the company said it could start pumping out 50,000 pounds of “no-kill” meat products every year.

The news follows Upside’s April announcement that it had secured $400 million in Series C funding, moving the company “from R&D to commercialization,” according to CEO Uma Valeti.

“Our team...continues to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges in our mission to make our favorite food a force for good,” said Valeti.

Upside, with 140 employees, has now garnered over $600 million in funding from names like Bill Gates and meat companies Tyson and Cargill.

Brian Sikes, Cargill COO, stresses his team’s commitment to meatless meat:

“Our continued support for UPSIDE’s innovative work underscores Cargill’s commitment to an inclusive approach to wholesome, sustainable protein that will meet customer and consumer needs now and in the future.”

Meanwhile, Beyond Meat announced it would lay off 19% of staff last month, and retail sales in the plant-based meat industry overall have dropped 10% in the past year.

More on lab-grown meat :

Beyond Meat Faces Lawsuit Over False Protein Content and Quality Claims
Hoxton Farms Raises $22 Million for Cultivated Animal Fat

Legislation on Competition Offers Healthcare Benefits to Rural America

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 04:19:45 GMT

It’s no secret there’s a gap in healthcare access between urban and rural communities. According to the CDC, more than 46 million people live in rural America, but these communities have trouble attracting and retaining physicians and maintaining health services.

Earlier this week, President Biden met with his administration to discuss efforts in their July 2021 executive order to promote competition in the American economy. Provisions under this legislation are aimed at bridging the rural-urban healthcare gap.

Hearing Aids

According to Bharat Ramamurti, National Economic Council deputy director, roughly 48 million Americans experience mild or moderate hearing loss, yet only 14% seek out hearing aids.

The average American worker’s salary is $51,000, based on 2021 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. A pair of hearing aids costs $5,000, which Ramamurti says is likely the leading cause for low hearing aid purchases.

“We would change the rules so hearing aids could be available over the counter at your local drugstore for walk-in and pickup”, Ramamurti says. “It would cost a couple hundred dollars instead of a few thousand.”

Hearing aids are manufactured on an individual basis to ensure size and fit. With over-the-counter alternatives, Ramamurti says size and fit choices would be limited compared with seeing a specialist, but pocketbooks would be “provided far greater options.”

Walmart began selling their own over-the-counter hearing aid option late last year. Ramamurti says the Biden administration predicts other companies will follow suit this year.

In 2017, Sens. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., introduced the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act, which was signed into law by President Trump later that year. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) then began work on the proposed over-the-counter hearing aids rule.

Grassley and Warren have urged the FDA key provisions on over-the-counter hearing aids, as further outlined in the Biden administrations executive order, be implemented quickly:

“Maintaining these provisions will ensure that the final regulation successfully increases competition, spurs innovation and brings down prices for consumers, while meeting the high standards of safety, manufacturing protections and consumer labeling required of all medical devices,” the senators said.

Hospital Price Transparency

Since 2010, the White House reports 138 rural hospitals have closed, with 19 buckling in 2021 alone.

Consolidations in hospitals and health insurance agencies has left many rural areas without good options for convenient and affordable healthcare, according to the Biden administration. The 10 largest healthcare systems now control a quarter of the market.

Updated merger guidelines for hospitals and health insurance companies, coupled with standardized plan options in the health insurance marketplace, will level the playing field, Ramamurti says. By increasing penalties, “there will be a lot more incentive” for hospitals and insurance companies to stop “surprise billing,” he adds.

Entrepreneur Mark Cuban recently launched his own online pharmacy to lower generic drug prices. Ramamurti says the administration is similarly “aligned” in trying to make sure there are more generic options for Americans, as they can save people 80% to 90%, in some instances.

Pfizer Vaccine Receives Full FDA Approval: “Now is the Time to Get Vaccinated,” White House Says

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 14:50:48 GMT

Nearly nine months following the authorization of the first emergency use of a COVID-19 vaccine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a seal of approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Comirnaty.

In an AgriTalk interview on Tuesday with host Chip Flory, Dr. Bechara Choucair, White House vaccination coordinator, discussed the FDA’s approval of Pfizer’s vaccine.

“We know there are a lot of people who are still undecided about the vaccine. And there are many reasons why some of these folks are undecided about the vaccine. But for the subset of these folks, and according to the Kaiser Family foundation, up to three out 10 of these folks are waiting to get the full approval of the FDA before they get vaccinated,” Choucair says. “If you’ve been waiting for this approval before you get the vaccine, now is the time go ahead and get vaccinated.”

Many have questioned whether the FDA would push approval for the Pfizer vaccine because so many people have already received the jab. Choucair explains the FDA’s acceptance of the vaccine wasn’t a political move. The decision was based on fact and scientific data.

“The FDA has gone through a very complex process to ensure the safety, the effectiveness, and the quality production of this vaccine. They have reviewed literally hundreds of thousands of pages worth of preclinical data, clinical data, and information. They’re reviewed details of the manufacturing process,” Choucair says. “They’ve gone through inspections at the sites in which the vaccine is made. We know the FDA has worked around the clock and has said that this was one of their top priorities. And we know the FDA is the gold stand for safety in the world. So I think people should absolutely be confident in that this vaccine has met its high standards, is safe, and is effective.”

With Pfizer leading the FDA approval charge, it begs the question if or when Moderna and Johnson & Johnson will follow suit.

“We know from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, both companies are still gathering final data and submitting their application materials. And the FDA has already said the COVID-19 vaccines are among their top priority,” Choucair told Flory. “Currently in the United States, we have three vaccines that are very safe and very effective. They’re effective at preventing you from getting the infection, but they are particularly effective in preventing you from getting more severe consequences after injection – like hospitalizations and deaths.”

Given that schools are reopening across the country with in-person classes, COVID-19 is likely to spike. However, Choucair says there is a spark of hope in the ongoing full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for teens and preteens.

“The vaccine has received full approval for 16 years old and older. Now, keep in mind that 12- to 15-year-olds will continue to receive the vaccine. Pfizer remains authorized for emergency use, and it is safe and effective, as we’ve heard from both the CDC and the FDA,” he says. “At this time, Pfizer has requested the full approval for the use of the vaccine and on individuals 16 and older. In July, Pfizer did say it would pursue separate approval for the 12-to-15-year age group once that additional six-month data comes out.”

Choucair told Flory the data attests to the effectiveness of the vaccine and the Pfizer option is working as anticipated.

“If you look at the overwhelming majority of hospitalizations related to COVID-19 in this country today, they are amongst those who are unvaccinated. You look at the overwhelming majority of people who are dying from COVID-19 today, they are by far unvaccinated. So the vaccines work. They’re effective; they’re safe. If you are still thinking about getting vaccinated, now is the time to roll up your sleeves and get that shot.”

An uptick in vaccinations seems likely with the FDA approving the Pfizer vaccine. However, it’s difficult to put into perspective how many Americans are vaccinated or unvaccinated. In his final thoughts, Choucair discussed the number of shots administered each day, as well as weekly averages.

“This is our path to getting this pandemic behind us. It all starts with more and more people getting vaccinated. And the fact remains that we’re seeing more and more people getting vaccinated every single day. We’ve averaged 800,000 doses per day over the last week or so. We have more than 470,000 people every single day, rolling-up their sleeves and getting that very first shot,” Choucair says. “We know people are realizing that this pandemic is not over. People are realizing this delta variant is much more contagious and they’re realizing there are more people in hospitals, more people dying, and we want to make sure they’re protecting themselves, and their communities.”

Listen to Chip Flory’s full interview with Dr. Bechara Choucair, White House vaccination coordinator, here.

Food-Safety Law Starts to Kick in Two Years After Outbreaks

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 05:01:59 GMT

Copyright 2013 Bloomberg.
By Anna Edney and Stephanie Armour

A federal food safety law passed two years ago after poisonings sickened hundreds of Americans is finally being implemented by the Obama administration.

One of two regulatory proposals issued Friday to carry out the core of the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act would give companies that sell in the U.S. one year to develop a formal plan for preventing the causes of foodborne illness. The second would force produce farms with a “high risk” of contamination to develop new hygiene, soil and temperature controls.

The law is the biggest change to food industry oversight since 1938. It was prompted, in part, by recalls of tainted cookie dough, spinach, jalapenos and peanuts that killed at least nine people and sickened more than 700 in 2008 and 2009. Companies and farmers may need to spend as much as $1.1 billion a year to meet the requirements, U.S. health officials said.

The act “shifts the food safety focus from reactive to preventive,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. “We are establishing a science- based, flexible system to better prevent foodborne illness.”

The rules for produce farms will prevent 1.75 million foodborne illnesses at a cost of $460 million a year for domestic farms and $171 million for foreign growers, the Food and Drug Administration estimated. The proposal mandating formal prevention plans may cost as much as $475 million annually depending on how a small business is defined, the FDA said.

Role Model

The Grocery Manufacturers Association , a Washington-based trade group that represents ConAgra Foods Inc. and Kraft Foods Group Inc., said the law “ensures that prevention is the cornerstone of our nation’s food-safety strategy.”

“It places new responsibilities on food and beverage manufacturers and provides the FDA with the resources and authorities it needs to further strengthen our nation’s food safety net,” Pamela Bailey, the group’s chief executive officer, said in a statement. “FSMA and its implementation effort can serve as a role model for what can be achieved when the private and public sectors work together to achieve a common goal.”

The rules were proposed two years to the day after President Barack Obama signed the bill that gave the FDA more power to police domestic and international producers, carry out inspections and force recalls of tainted products in an effort to steer government food-safety oversight toward preventing contamination rather than responding once problems occur.

48 Million Cases

Over the past two decades, the food industry has taken on much of the FDA’s role in ensuring that what Americans eat is safe, a Bloomberg Markets magazine report in November showed. The agency can’t oversee its jurisdiction of $1.2 trillion in annual food sales, leading to an audit system that gave sterling marks to a cantaloupe farm, an egg producer, a peanut processor and a ground-turkey plant -- either before or right after they supplied toxic food, according to the report.

Almost 48 million people contract foodborne illnesses in the U.S. each year, leading to 130,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The law’s supporters say it will curb those illnesses, which cost the U.S. an estimated $152 billion a year.

The rules “really go to the heart of the problems we’ve had with food safety in recent years,” said Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives at the Yonkers, New York-based advocacy group Consumers Union.

United Fresh Produce Association , a trade group for the fruit and vegetable industry, said it’s reviewing the proposed regulations and will work with the FDA and others to ensure the final rules are “practical and effective.”

‘Big Step’

The regulations are subject to a 120-day public comment period and may change before taking effect.

“The FDA knows that food safety, from farm to fork, requires partnership with industry, consumers, local, state and tribal governments, and our international trading partners,” FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, said in the statement. “Our proposed rules reflect the input we have received from these stakeholders and we look forward to working with the public as they review the proposed rules.”

Michael Taylor, deputy commissioner for foods at the FDA, said the proposed rules will encompass preventive control for food facilities and a produce safety rule that covers growing and packing of fruits and vegetables on farms.

“These are two real substantive rules that aim for prevention and protection of the food supply,” Taylor said in an interview. “It’s a big step.”

Limited Enforcement

The produce rule attempts to address water quality, worker hygiene, materials that are put into the soil and animals that enter growing fields, Taylor later said on a conference call with reporters. The FDA attempted to tailor the regulations, for example, differentiating between water used on crops and otherwise and between produce consumers typically eat raw and those such as potatoes and artichokes that are cooked, he said.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest , a consumer advocacy group in Washington, said that while the proposed rules are a sign of progress, there are still overdue regulations that should be released to ensure the safety of imported food.

“Americans want to know that the food coming from China, Mexico, and elsewhere is subject to the same standards, inspection, testing, and other regulatory improvements mandated for the domestic food industry,” Caroline Smith DeWaal, the consumer group’s food safety director, said.

The FDA said it will issue additional rules related to verifying that food products from overseas are as safe as domestic products, and to accreditation standards for third- party food safety audits overseas.

One of the biggest challenges for the government is how to enforce the new rules amid budget constraints.

“FDA may do some inspections but we have limited resources to do inspections,” Taylor told reporters on the conference call. “We expect much of the oversight to come at the state and local level.”