The FDA has unveiled guidance on added sugars, serving sizes and dietary fibers to help manufacturers implement the new Nutrition Facts label, and says it’s working on a plan to incentivize manufacturers to make healthier products and “provide consumers...
Providing broadband Internet access to rural America is a top priority USDA and part of a larger effort to ensure future generations continue to farm, ranch and manufacturer the commodities and products that are backbone of the country’s food supply,...
While NAFTA’s status remains in limbo, the US Department of Agriculture is “leaving no stone unturned” in its efforts to strike trade agreements with countries outside of North America that will benefit US farmers, ranchers and manufacturers of finished...
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) wants to “burrow out” overly restrictive regulations, “strike the best deal” for trade and “get a reasonable solution to an agriculture workforce,” amid the ongoing immigration debate, Sec. Sonny Perdue told stakeholders...
A controversial recommendation in the White House’s budget proposal released Feb. 12 to overhaul how benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, are delivered to recipients could cost food retailers billions...
Members of Congress chastise the US Department of Agriculture in a Jan. 17 letter for threatening to withdraw a widely popular final rule passed in the 11th hour of the Obama Administration that would heighten animal welfare standards for organic producers.
“Deeply disappointed” by the US Department of Agriculture’s recent decision to eliminate the new organic standard on animal welfare, stakeholders are taking their case to the mainstream public in an effort to pressure the agency to change its position....
The FDA has signaled its intent to “modernize certain standards of identity” in its 2018 strategic roadmap, suggesting that it might, after all, weigh into the plant-based ‘milk’ and ‘cheese’ debate in 2018, although it has not clarified which standards...
To the “dismay” of the Organic Trade Association and against the vast majority of comments submitted by industry, the USDA proposes to withdraw a final rule outlining new animal welfare standards for organic producers that was passed in the 11th hour...
Against the vast majority of stakeholders’ wishes, the US Department of Agriculture once again is delaying the widely supported Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices because the department believes the final rule oversteps Congress’ mandate ‘for the...
As the process of renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement continues to sour under the current US Administration’s ‘protectionist war’ that emphasizes ‘America first,’ stakeholders for Mexican Avocados are trying to smooth tensions by highlighting...
Food and beverage industry trade leaders laud President Trump’s sweeping tax reform proposals as “bold,” “pro-growth” and as offering “much-needed relief” to American businesses and families.
A new coalition of US and Canadian produce companies hopes to protect the North American Free Trade Agreement from potentially “traumatic” revisions based on “protectionism and a very narrow view of trade,” according to one co-founder.
FDA is pushing back the compliance dates for most agricultural water testing standards outlined in the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule to “simplify our approach to make compliance less burdensome and less costly, while still being...
The Organic Trade Association is suing the US Department of Agriculture for repeatedly and allegedly illegally delaying and threatening to potentially suspend indefinitely the widely popular Organic Livestock and Poultry Production final rule, which was...
Contrary to suggestions in a federal lawsuit filed against USDA earlier this month, the agency currently is reviewing a feasibility study exploring how electronic or digital disclosure, such as QR codes, might impact consumers’ ability to easily identify...
As negotiations for the 2018 Farm Bill continue, legislators across the aisle need to work together to ensure “small differences do not get in the way of the larger goal” of passing a bill that will spur agricultural growth and ensure the competitive...
If President Trump follows through on his suggestion at Tuesday’s rally in Phoenix to “probably” ditch the North American Free Trade Agreement – some of the produce American manufacturers rely on from Mexico could be at stake – including mangoes.
Being a poor college student unable to afford books or a night out is one thing, but being a poor college student who also is unable to afford groceries or unsure where the next meal will come from is another level – one which researchers argue could...
After efforts earlier this year to use a stick to discourage SNAP beneficiaries from buying unhealthy products was met with resistance and doubt, the government is trying another approach – a carrot in the form of $16.8 million in grants to boost purchases...
FDA’s decision late last week to allow manufacturers in some cases to use ultrafiltered milk and ultrafiltered nonfat milk to make cheese could help ease the negative impact on US dairy farmers of less expensive UF milk from Canada that currently is flooding...
When starting a business, it helps to have someone who has been there before to help avoid pitfalls and secure success, but finding a trusted expert to fill this role can be difficult, which is why earlier this month the US Department of Agriculture teamed...
While most agricultural industry leaders gathered on Capitol Hill yesterday urged lawmakers and the current administration to tread lightly when it comes to renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, some indicated specific areas for improvement.
More than 75 members of the Council for Responsible Nutrition and the American Herbal Products Association will “fly-in” to Capitol Hill today to meet with members of Congress and their staff to promote the dietary supplement industry’s self-regulatory...
President Trump’s aggressive budget proposal for fiscal 2018 is a pennywise and pound-foolish approach to agriculture, and especially organic production and sales, according to legislators and industry leaders, who promise to fight for more balance.
As part of a larger strategy to reduce the US deficit, the Trump Administration wants to help the agriculture sector “punch above its weight” by promoting trade, providing an affordable workforce, easing regulatory burdens and including it in the infrastructure...
More than a hundred representatives for the organic industry descended on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, last Thursday to extol to legislators the benefits of their industry to the US economy and ask for additional funding and help expand organic practices...
Will the July 2018 deadline for compliance with the new Nutrition Facts panel stand? Will federal GMO labeling regulations stop GMO-related lawsuits? And will the FDA nail down ‘natural’ anytime soon? FoodNavigator-USA headed to the American Conference...
Budget proposals unveiled by the Trump administration this week include a $193bn cut to food stamps (SNAP: the supplemental nutrition assistance program) over the next 10 years – slashing SNAP’s budget by almost a quarter - and limits on farm subsidies.
Updated daily values (DVs) for vitamins and minerals that will roll out with the new-look Nutrition Facts panel, coupled with changes to serving sizes, may reduce the nutrient density of fortified foods, and could lead to reduced overall intakes of some...
Plant Based Foods Association: 'I am not sure how this resolution helps'
State milk regulators have weighed into the plant-based milk debate in a vote that was hailed by the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) as “the strongest statement yet that the abuse of dairy terms has gone too far," but dismissed as unhelpful...
Requests to delay the implementation of the updated Nutrition Facts panel, which includes a line to indicate added sugar and makes calories more visible, and a last-minute delay of menu labeling regulations are insulting to consumers, suggests Former...
The private equity arm of global CPG giant Unilever, called Unilever Ventures, led the $9.2m Series C-2 funding of organic meal kit company Sun Basket.
Assuming FDA does not delay the deadline for the new Nutrition Fact label as requested by industry, then large companies have slightly more than a year left to overcome challenges associated with added sugar, the new definition of dietary fiber, changes...
The results of the 2017 FoodNavigator-USA reader survey are in… and not surprisingly, given the breadth of our readership, they’re pretty mixed, with many readers excited about their company’s prospects and others feeling trapped in a race to the bottom...
After eight years under the Obama Administration of a “whole lot of fun” for nutrition policy advocates, the next four years under the Trump White House likely will feel like a “swinging pendulum” to the far other extreme, according to a prominent food...
Two of the biggest hurdles to ending hunger in the US are the lack of consequences for politicians who vote against programs designed to reduce hunger and food insecurity, and misconceptions about who receives the benefits, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) told...
The implementation deadline for the new Nutrition Facts label, which includes a new line indicating added sugars, could be pushed back several years if President Trump’s nominee for FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is confirmed.
While President Trump’s nominee for USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue breezed through his Senate Agriculture Committee confirmation hearing late last month, he could face a long delay before the full Senate can consider his nomination. But that isn’t stopping...
A significant portion of employees at the US Department of Agricultural fear that policy changes implemented during the Trump Administration’s first 100 days threaten their jobs and project funding, and could suppress data, according to a small study...
With the new administration comes new opportunities for the food and beverage industry, from agriculture and scientists to manufacturers and public health advocates, to make their priorities heard by collectively raising their voices, stakeholders argued...
The due date for the next Farm Bill may still be a year away, but stakeholders already are drawing up a laundry list of diverse requests that will require a “big tent approach” at a time when deeply divided political leaders appear unlikely to meet each...
High levels of added sugar should disqualify foods from being able to make health claims, or nutrient content claims such as ‘healthy’ or ‘high fiber,’ argues a citizen’s petition filed last week by the nonprofit advocacy group the Union of Concerned...
Days after President Trump signed an executive order that freezes some regulations and draft guidance documents, FDA offers to help food industry associations draft their own guidance documents to help “capture the best practices” and boost industry compliance...
The US dairy industry is continuing its fight against Canada’s policies, which they say are blocking American dairy imports into the country in violation of international agreements.
From open letters to official statements, many US food and beverage industry entities stand firmly on keeping NAFTA and a barrier-free bilateral arrangement with Mexico.
The Trump Administration’s regulatory freeze announced last week could significantly impact how the Nutrition Facts Label final rule and regulations related to the Food Safety Modernization Act are interpreted and enforced even though they passed well...
The rumors are true: Former USDA Sec. Tom Vilsack will take the helm of the US Dairy Export Council Feb. 1 after serving the Obama Administration as one of the longest serving agriculture secretaries in history.
With each new year comes new trends in ingredients, cooking styles and eating patterns, but in 2017 the incoming presidential Administration could fundamentally change the way Americans eat by changing how food gets from farm to fork and the safety measures...
