Food regulation update January 26: The latest on MAHA and related developments

CHICAGO, January 26, 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 

FDA

Allergen Meeting Materials Available - As previously reported, FDA is holding a virtual public meeting about food allergen thresholds and their possible uses in the U.S. on February 18, 2026. Listening sessions will follow on February 19-20, 2026. Registration is open and event materials are now available. The agency is organizing these events with input from industry representatives, consumer groups, healthcare professionals, individual companies, retailers, and academic researchers. This collaboration will help the FDA determine its next actions, set priorities, and improve food allergen threshold strategies for the benefit of public health.

Gluten RFI  - The FDA has issued a Request for Information (RFI) regarding labeling practices and the prevention of gluten cross-contact in packaged food. This initiative represents an initial effort to enhance transparency in ingredient disclosures that affect certain health conditions, such as the presence of gluten for individuals with celiac disease, along with other recognized food allergens. The FDA is soliciting data on adverse reactions attributable to “ingredients of interest”—specifically, non-wheat gluten-containing grains (GCGs) including rye, barley, and oats (the latter due to potential cross-contact with GCGs)—as well as input concerning labeling challenges related to identifying these ingredients on packaged foods within the United States. The agency’s action follows the receipt of a citizen petition and consideration of a range of reports and data, such as recent findings from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations expert consultation. The FDA’s analysis highlights significant data gaps, particularly limited U.S. information regarding adverse reactions associated with these ingredients. 

The FDA requests detailed input including but not limited to: the prevalence of products where rye or barley are undeclared; data on the severity and potency of immunoglobulin E-mediated allergies to rye and barley; and concerns related to gluten contamination of oats resulting from cross-contact. Additional questions relevant to these matters are also being considered. This effort aims to improve transparency for consumers and guide the FDA’s priorities and subsequent actions related to gluten labeling.

How to Submit Comments - Comments can be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal to Docket No FDA-2023-P-3942 (open for 60 days).

 

MAHA

MAHA Tour Kick-Off - After unveiling the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans and leading a national reset of U.S. nutrition policy, HHS Secretary Kennedy traveled to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday to kick off the “Take Back Your Health” Tour with a rally at the state capitol alongside elected officials and supporters which was hosted by the state’s GOP delegation. “We're here today because of the existential crisis in American health. Americans pay two to three times what our peer nations pay for health care. And yet we have the worst results in the worst outcomes in the developed world. The administration believes that we need to start focusing on health long before someone enters a hospital,” Kennedy said. "This transformation begins with honesty, with gold standard science, with transparency, and it begins with the courage to challenge all of the entrenched interests and systems and orthodoxies that profit from disease and from keeping us ill.” State Representative Leadbeter, who introduced legislation to prohibit food dyes from school lunches and is seeking reelection in 2026, stated that topics like healthy food and agriculture are broadly supported because people view them “through a parental lens” rather than a political one. Kennedy addressed the recent release of the Dietary Guidelines, noting “These guidelines tell us what we ought to eat, a lot of protein, dairy, I'd eat eggs. I'd eat meat, fruit and vegetables and high fiber grains. And these guidelines are going to drive dramatic changes in dietary culture in this country,” he said. He pointed to past nutrition recommendations that were based on the old food pyramid for chronic illnesses like diabetes. “Dietary guidelines of the past were crafted, not with the idea of public health in mind or good science, [but] with politicized science driven by the mercantile ambitions of the big food processing companies who had captured the FDA,” Kennedy said. “That commercial impulse is what drove Froot Loops to the top of the food pyramid…They poisoned an American generation, and we're now feeling the effects. We're telling Americans it's time to start eating real food again.” He said food assistance programs will now prioritize "real food," which he defines as food that’s not processed. “[The Department of Agriculture] gives out $405 million a day to food subsidies in this country, to programs like Head Start to the WIC program, to school lunches, to the SNAP program, to the Indian tribal programs, and the food that they were getting reflects the dietary guidelines. They're getting processed food now. They're not going to do that anymore. They're going to get real food, and it's going to drive changes the marketplace,” he said. This is the start of the road show for Secretary Kennedy and team particularly with mid-term elections approaching. The Administration will be tapping into the support of MAHA followers to elevate their messaging and gain support for the pending elections.

MAHA PAC - A major MAHA political action committee, MAHA PAC, has pledged $1 million in support of Republican Representative Julia Letlow to run against GOP Senator Bill Cassidy for Louisiana’s Senate seat—marking an early assessment of MAHA’s impact in the upcoming midterm elections. MAHA PAC praised President Trump for endorsing Congresswoman Julia Letlow as a candidate for the U.S. Senate in Louisiana. MAHA PAC has committed $1,000,000 to back her campaign and promote the goal of Making Louisiana Healthy Again.