While the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission focused on long-term public health consequences of the U.S. food system in a May 22 report, the Food and Drug Administration is preparing for sweeping regulatory shifts and global trade policies.
The MAHA Commission’s assessment identifies drivers behind the childhood chronic disease crisis and lists a range of contributing factors — including poor diet, accumulation of environmental toxins, insufficient physical activity, chronic stress and overmedicalization, according to a news release.
“We must do more to improve the health outcomes of our kids and families, and President Trump knows agriculture is at the heart of the solution,” said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. “America’s farmers and ranchers dedicate their lives to the noble cause of feeding their country and the world, and in doing so have created the safest and most abundant and affordable food supply in the world. We are working to make sure our kids and families are consuming the healthiest food we produce. I look forward to continuing to work with Secretary Kennedy and other members of the MAHA Commission to improve our nation’s health.”
Public health officials aren’t the only ones raising concerns. On the regulatory and trade side, professionals are also preparing for significant shifts that could influence the accessibility, safety and cost of the food supply.
In a Registrar Corp webinar with the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America — “Navigating FDA Regulatory Shifts and Evolving Tariff Policies in 2025" — Registrar Corp President David Lennarz covered the changes from the evolving enforcement priorities at the FDA to renewed scrutiny of de minimis thresholds, tariff policies under Trump and more.
“The produce industry will not be immune from pending tariffs, no matter at what level the percentage lands,” Lennarz said. “Efforts should be focused on diversification of supply chains, as well as having conversations early on with suppliers to reduce purchase prices, and with customers to expect increases in prices.”
In discussing what’s new at the FDA, Lennarz looked at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. As the center that regulates food, beverages and dietary supplements, Lennarz says there have been notable changes since January.
“First off, I’ll start with the Food Safety Modernization Act,” Lennarz said. “As you may recall, this regulation was signed into law under President Obama in 2011 to modernize our food safety system in the U.S., specifically putting more responsibility on the actual U.S. importers of products, as well as other parts of the act focusing on produce safety, etc. Within the Food Safety Modernization Act, Section 204 relates to traceability. This was a regulation, a rulemaking long in planning, long prepared for, however, it was actually delayed back in March and the implementation deadline, instead of being for January 2026, has pushed out until July 20, 2028, so that’s quite a change — a two-and-a-half-year delay in the implementation of the traceability rule around food products.
Second, Lennarz said, was a recent announcement that the FDA is looking for the voluntary removal of certain synthetic dyes.
In April the FDA unveiled a series of new measures to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply. While some are reporting the measures as a “ban” on certain synthetic dyes, Lennarz says it’s a misnomer.
“At this point, it is purely voluntary, where FDA is asking companies to switch to natural alternatives to synthetic dyes — so there is not a ban, no rulemaking at this point. It is purely voluntary,” Lennarz said.
Lennarz said there is change happening at the FDA across all regulated structures, and the FDA, as a government agency, is here to stay, so “… stay tuned; be prepared.”
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