The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a major new initiative entitled “Supplement Your Knowledge” to help educate, inform and broaden consumer and healthcare professionals’ understanding of dietary supplements. It is a fact that more than half of all Americans take dietary supplements daily or on occasion.
“Dietary supplements can be valuable to one’s health but taking some supplements can also involve health risks. It’s important for consumers to have a comprehensive understanding about dietary supplements as well as the ability to identify and safely use supplements that are beneficial to their health,” said Douglas Stearn, deputy director for regulatory affairs at FDA. The initiative will focus on advising consumers to talk to their doctor, pharmacist or other healthcare professional before deciding to purchase or use any dietary supplement. One reason for this recommendation is that some supplements might interact with medicines or even other supplements. The overall message theme will be that if a consumer thinks that a product might have caused a reaction or an illness, they should immediately stop using the product and contact their healthcare professional. The FDA will also be encouraging consumers and healthcare professionals to report adverse reactions associated with FDA regulated products to the agency using the FDA’s Safety Reporting Portal.
Additional information about the major new FDA dietary supplement educational initiative may be found at www.fda.gov/dietarysupplements.
More Funding For Food Industry And Others
Last month the Biden administration announced the new availability of $2.1 billion in funding to shore up weaknesses in the country’s food supply system exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Near-record food prices have challenged governments around the world, and the Biden administration’s handling of inflation is a major concern for voters ahead of the midterm election which is only four months away.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack unveiled the new funding, designed to enhance competition in food processing and distribution, increase access to healthy food and expand markets for farmers, during a speech last month at Washington’s Georgetown University. The investments, drawn from the American Rescue Plan Act, include $900 million for food processing workforce training and supply-chain infrastructure; $550 million for small food businesses and reducing food waste; $375 million for organic and urban agriculture projects; and $370 million to boost public access to health food. Also, USDA will use $400 million of the funds to establish regional food business centers that will provide technical assistance to small and midsize food and farm businesses.
Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee
The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) have just closed the nomination process for applications to serve on the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. The committee, when officially appointed, will review scientific evidence to help form the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030. The next announcement, anticipated to be in the fall or winter, will include the committee names of what the two departments say will be a balanced committee in expertise, experience, and education and reflective of the racial, ethnic, gender and geographic diversity within the U.S.
The independent committee will then provide science-based advice and recommendations to be considered by HHS and USDA, along with federal agency input and public comments, as the two departments develop the latest official Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The guidelines are reset every five years and comprise the primary document used by government agencies and non-government groups, including the food industry, for providing advice on what to eat and drink to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and prevent disease.
Retail Food Protection Center For Food Safety
As part of the FDA’s commitment to provide training for individuals conducting self-assessments and verification audits of the FDA Retail Food Program Standards, FDA is now offering online self-guided courses. The courses are especially helpful for mid-size and smaller retail food operators who may not have the in-depth training programs that large food chains have as part of their employee training.
Visit www.fda.gov/retailfoodprotection and go to the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards page for more information.
FDA Food Code
Allow me to inject additional information regarding food safety since it is a critical issue for the food industry and especially the retail food segment. The official Food Code is a model for safeguarding public health and ensuring food is unadulterated and honestly presented when offered to the consumer. The code is used by states and local governments for the oversight of food service, retail food stores, and food vending operations. It is advisable for your food safety in-house experts to stay abreast of the Food Code as it is updated regularly. You can visit the same website noted above to check out the latest updates.
Farm Bill Update
The House Agriculture Committee held another hearing last month as part of its ongoing series of hearings to review the 2018 Farm Bill and prepare for the 2023 Farm Bill. Their most recent hearing produced overviews on the current USDA nutrition programs included in the bill other than the Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program (SNAP). Other programs include The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and the Community Food Projects, among many others. At this time, the hearings’ goals are to review existing programs and review their relevant provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill in order to maintain and improve upon them for the 2023 Farm Bill. The process of drafting the 2023 Farm Bill continues and drafts should start to surface by the end of this year.
Shipping Reform Legislation
Not all the merchandise sold in U.S. food stores arrives by truck and/or air. Huge transport ships also bring to U.S. consumers food and general merchandise that is then transported by trucks to distribution centers and then on to retail stores. Last month the House passed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (OSRA) and, according to Meatingplace News, the new legislation drew praise from food industry groups and others eager for solutions to address clogged U.S. ports that have delayed shipments, disrupted the supply chain, and sent freight costs soaring. The Senate passed the bill in March.
The legislation expands the Federal Maritime Commission’s authority to prohibit shippers from engaging in unfair practices, such as refusing cargo space and to investigate and act on complaints about ocean freight fees. The North American Meat Institute, among other industry groups, applauded passage of the reform bill. Leaders of the American Trucking Associations said the bill “adds important tools to address unjustified and illegal fees collected from American truckers by the ocean shipping cartel…those fees hurt American motor carriers and consumers.”
The new law is supposed to also help trim inflation, according to the Biden administration, but we at Policy Solutions do not see that happening immediately. Marc Bellemare, an agronomics professor at the University of Minnesota who studies food prices, said he is “skeptical because 75 percent of the food in the world is consumed in the country where it is produced,” and not brought in on ocean ships. Yet another food economist, Erkut Sonmez of the University of Nebraska, said “it could have a domino effect or a long-term effect on managing supply chains in a more cost- efficient way.” Do economists ever reach the same conclusions?
Finally, a tip of the hat to my former employer for 45 years – Giant Food. Giant was recently highlighted in The Washington Post as one of the “Best Places to Work” in the Washington metropolitan area. I can attest to that!
Barry Scher is associated with the public policy firm of Policy Solutions LLC and can be reached at Bscher@policy-solutions.net.
