Food regulation update March 17: The latest on MAHA and related developments

CHICAGO, March 17, 2026 — 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.

 

MAHA

Surgeon General – As of this week Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski appear to be the two Republican holdouts for confirmation of Casey Means to become the next U.S. Surgeon General. As previously reported, there are major concerns over her appointment given her lack of credentials and conflicts of interest. At a roundtable in September, she highlighted how we must fight against ultra-processed food, pesticides, plastic exposure, lack of exercise, and more, saying, “if you address these root causes that all lead to metabolic dysfunction and help patients change their food and lifestyle patterns … we could reverse the chronic disease crisis in America, save millions of lives and trillions of dollars in healthcare costs per year.“ MAHA Action is encouraging all of their supporters to reach out to members of Congress to secure a vote in favor of Means.

Industry Pushback - The food industry is cautiously responding to the MAHA initiative through a new video that emphasizes the need for solid national policies to ensure food remains accessible and affordable in the United States. A recently released nine-minute video and report from the National Association of Manufacturers present statistics on the economic effects of their industries—including frozen foods, grain milling, and can manufacturing.

This campaign marks an increased pushback from the food sector against Kennedy and his MAHA movement's efforts to scrutinize certain ingredients. With the upcoming November midterm elections, the video showcases how businesses are taking advantage of weaknesses in Republican economic policy to advance their own objectives. Because of negative blow-back from the focus on vaccines and pesticides, the Trump administration has recently shifted its messaging concerning MAHA to be more focused on nutrition and health. Secretary Kennedy has also launched a broad public messaging campaign highlighting new Dietary Guidelines and drug pricing agreements, while speaking less about his attempts to reduce vaccine requirements. He also endorsed a Super Bowl commercial paid for by the MAHA Center, featuring boxer Mike Tyson and the motto “Eat Real Food.”

Meanwhile MAHA activists are fighting back by continuing to raise concerns about establishing a national standard for GRAS reform and ingredient safety, warning it could lead to weaker regulations. Only Congress has the authority to override state laws which continue to propose or pass state level GRAS reform. Kennedy told Bloomberg last year that creating a national standard was “open for discussion.” However, to date we have seen little interest in a national standard. The new proposed FDA GRAS reform regulations have been at OMB since late last year, the last stop before being released to the public.
 

FDA

Front of Pack Labeling - At the National Food Policy conference held in Washington DC on March 4th, FDA Commissioner Makary revealed plans to proceed with Front of Pack (FOP) Nutrition Labeling. He suggested revising the previously released proposed rule—which called for interpretive labeling of added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat—by including fiber instead of saturated fat. This is interesting considering little was said about fiber and the 10% limit on calories from saturated fat remained in the recently published 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines. While over 90% of Americans are not consuming enough fiber, this change to FOP labeling prompts questions regarding its impact and the timing of its rollout.

FDA's earlier FOP proposal drew on extensive consumer research that shaped the design, as well as a thorough review of global FOP labeling systems. The evidence shows that when both nutrients to limit like added sugars and nutrients to encourage such as fiber appear together in FOP schemes, consumers are more confused compared to schemes focusing only on limiting certain nutrients. Research also indicated that traffic light colors tend to confuse consumers, who often struggle to interpret them accurately when making choices.

We have been waiting for FDA to release the final FOP labeling regulations. Modifying the existing proposed FOP regulations would require a new proposal and comment period, which could result in years of delay. Therefore, Commissioner Makary's recommended policy shift would likely prevent any final FOP label regulation from being enacted during this administration. However, predicting the normal course of action for FDA and this administration is challenging so we will need to continue to monitor for developments.