The convening of the 119th Congress this month brings with it some must-do legislative priorities. Try as hard as they did before the final months of last year, dozens of bills that were supposed to become law October 1 did not make it to the fiscal year start line. My long-time friend, Maryland Democratic Representative Steny Hoyer, who is also ranking member on the financial services committee, said last month that January will be chaotic since the GOP leaders have “created a crisis.” Will Congress soon stumble into a partial government shutdown? Could happen. Or will we see a third stopgap spending bill enacted to keep the government funded for the rest of the fiscal year?
A new Ukraine aid package, coupled with aid to Israel and other funding deadlines to fund several critical sectors of the U.S. government, will make it harder to find solutions. The bottom-line reasoning is that these complex issues are aimed to provide $110 billion to fund two wars and increase security along the U.S. borders. That is what will make the start of the new Congress so chaotic.
The Elections
And as I highlighted in my commentary last month, 2024 is also an election year. When it comes to politics, history is often a purveyor of what is to come on Capitol Hill. And of special note to you historians, it is a fact that House of Representative retirements are often a leading indicator of what is to come in the next election cycle. So far, 22 House Dems have announced that they will not stand for reelection. That is compared to 11 retiring Republicans. Some retirees are running for higher office and others have said they have had enough of a dysfunctional Congress. What does this all mean for the 2024 elections?
Well for one thing, the word on the street from my political junkies and prognosticator friends is that the Dems will recapture the majority come November. But then folks, there are other professionals like Jeff Dufour, editor-in-chief of the National Journal, who was recently quoted as saying that he “sees a scenario in which the House and the Senate both flip in November and it since the Civil War, it would be only the 10th double flip of both chambers in Congress, and it would be the first time ever that a divided Congress sees both houses flip the opposite direction.” But wait. There is more. Aside from the House and Senate elections, the presidential elections are on tap. There is no doubt it is going to be quite a chaotic year!
SNAP Food Issues
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) understands the unique challenges faced by smaller, independent grocery stores interested in offering online SNAP purchasing opportunities for their customers. That is why, according to the National Grocer’s Association (NGA), the new SNAP EBT Modernization Technical Assistance Center, also known as SEMTAC, has been established as a valuable resource to help independent retailers get set to offer SNAP online purchasing for their low-income customers.
Powered by a cooperative grant agreement with USDA and FNS, NGA is launching this new website designed to provide comprehensive support to retailers navigating the complexities of SNAP online purchasing. The launch of this new website will guide small food retailers through the necessary steps, providing advice, order of operations, and technical expertise. Retailers can also use the SEMTAC website to request tailored support assistance. If you are an independent grocer, check out the new SNAP initiative. For more information, go to [email protected] or call 1.833.SEMTAC1.
Lab-Meat Industry News
Food Safety News reported that a new window of opportunity has opened for the emerging lab-meat industry. Why? Because the joint regulation of cell-cultured meats by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has not brought enough transparency to the novel and growing cell-cultured foods market.
To help fill the transparency gap, the Center for the Environment and Welfare (CEW) has announced the launch of www.LabMeat.com, a new website designed to educate the public about the technology behind lab-grown meat, also known as cell-cultured meat. In announcing the new website, CEW said it marks the beginning of a sustained education campaign to address consumer concerns surrounding cell-cultured products. For those of you who have active consumer affairs departments, this may be a good resource for you to use in your consumer educational campaigns. Again, go to the new website, www.LabMeat.com, for more information. Which leads me to the next paragraph.
Plant-Based Fish?
We have marketed plant-based meat and poultry and now there is plant-based fish! It was only a matter of time. I received a press release from WOOP4, a Canadian firm, that just announced the launch of its brand-new line of 100 percent vegan and allergy-free fish that looks like fish but is plant-based. Their press release said that the product looks like fish, tastes like fish and even feels like fish. Varieties available include salmon, smoked salmon, tuna, tropical piranha and Mahi-Mahi – all without allergens. Go to https://woop4.com for more information. Alt-fish is here!
If you want to keep abreast of the growing alt-meat, poultry, and now fish industry, you may want to subscribe to a free publication covering the alternative food industry, Alt-Meat News, at www.alt-meat.net.
Voluntary Qualified Importer Program
On January 1, 2024, the FDA opened the Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP) application portal for the fiscal year 2025. VQIP is a voluntary fee-based program that provides importers, who achieve and maintain control over the safety and security of their supply chains, the benefits of expedited review and import of human foods into the U.S.
To participate in VQIP, food retail importers must meet certain eligibility requirements, including ensuring that the facilities of their foreign suppliers are certified through the FDA’s Accredited Third-Party Certification Program. If you are interested in applying for VQIP benefits during FY 2025, the VQIP portal will remain open through May 31, 2024. For more information, call the VQIP hotline at 301.796.8745 or e-mail [email protected].
FDA Draft Supplemental Guidance On Menu Labeling
Last month the FDA announced the availability of a draft guidance for the food industry entitled “Menu Labeling: Supplemental Guidance for Industry (Edition 2).” To respond to frequently asked questions regarding menu labeling requirements, the draft guidance, once finalized, will update the existing guidance, and address the voluntary declaration of added sugars and the voluntary declaration of nutrition information for menus. If this is an issue that your food safety or in-house nutritional staff are following, you may want to go to the FDA website (FDA.gov.us) for more information. The official docket number is FDA-2011-F-0172.
Minimum Wage Increases For 2024
Twenty-two states are set to increase minimum wages this first month of 2024. At the start of 2024, seven states and Washington, DC will have minimum wages of at least $15 an hour. Along the East Coast, the new state minimum wages are as follows: Connecticut, increasing from $15 to $15.69; Delaware, increasing from $11.75 to $13.25; Washington, DC, increasing from $17 minimum wage (annually adjusted for inflation); Maryland, increasing to $15 for employers of all sizes; New Jersey, increasing from $14.13 to $15.13; and New York, increasing from $14.20 to $15.
Growing Food In Lunar Dust
I often like to end my commentary with news one would consider “unique.” Well, according to a press release issued last month from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the agency that oversees space exploration has just awarded $2.3 million to scientists to study how to grow vegetation in lunar soil as human exploration prepares to go beyond Earth’s atmosphere. The project will evaluate how lunar soil, also known as “regolith,” works as a growth substitute for crop-producing plants including grains, tomatoes and potatoes.” Hmmmm, maybe Matt Damon who starred in the Hollywood film “The Martian” was not so far beyond reality when he grew potatoes on Mars in that film. I guess that qualifies NASA’s plans as quite unique!
A happy and healthy New Year to my readers.
Barry Scher is associated with the public policy firm of Policy Solutions LLC and can be reached at [email protected].