Defining ultra‑processed foods and policy risks

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we discuss the top food safety stories of 2025 and their implications. We cover:

The Trump Administration's impact on federal agencies overseeing food safety [7:52]:

• FDA, CDC Ordered to Temporarily Pause All External Communications, Obtain Trump Admin Approval
• RFK Jr. Confirmed as HHS Secretary; Widespread Firings Coming to FDA, CDC
• USDA Inspector General Phyllis Fong Dismissed by Trump Administration
• Brooke Rollins Confirmed as Secretary of Agriculture, Cites 'Aggressive Plan' to Eliminate USDA Jobs
• FDA Leader Jim Jones Resigns After 89 'Indiscriminate' Firings in Human Foods Program
• Attorney Kyle Diamantas Expected to Replace Jim Jones as FDA Deputy Commissioner of Human Foods
• FDA Spending Freeze Leaves Staffers Feeling 'Dangerously Unprepared' for Next Foodborne Illness Outbreak
• Federal Workforce Data Reveal Impact of Trump Admin RIFs on USDA Food Safety Expertise
• More Than 15,000 USDA Employees Take Trump Administration's Resignation Offer
• FDA Suspends Milk Quality Testing Amid Health and Human Services Cuts
• Entire Departments of CDC Outbreak Experts Fired, Rehired During Shutdown RIFs
• FDA Reportedly Reinstating Some Fired Food Safety Scientists, Inspection Support Staff
• Government Shutdown Affects Food Safety: HHS Furloughs Employees, FDA Pauses CORE Investigation Table
• Ep. 196. Dr. Lane Highbarger: How the FDA Workforce Cuts May Impact Food Safety
• Dozens of Prominent Food Safety Stakeholders Call for Reinstatement of NACMCF and NACMPI
• USDA Withdraws Proposed Regulatory Framework for Salmonella in Poultry After Years of Development
• USDA Indefinitely Delays Enforcement of Salmonella as Adulterant in Raw Breaded, Stuffed Chicken
• CDC Slashes FoodNet Surveillance From Eight Foodborne Pathogens to Two
• Public Health Professionals, Groups Demand Resignation of HHS Secretary RFK Jr.
• Trump-Appointed CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez Fired After Clashes With Secretary Kennedy
• RFK Jr.'s Second in Command Named CDC Acting Director Following Sudden Firing
• Federal Layoffs to Hit HHS Amid Government Shutdown, May Affect Food Safety Staffers
• FDA Delays FSMA 204 Traceability Rule Compliance Date by 30 Months

States and the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement declare war on "toxic" food chemicals and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) [27:52]:

• FDA Announces Plan to Phase Out Synthetic, Petroleum-Based Food Dyes From U.S. Food Supply
• Bonus Episode: Diamantas and Choiniere: FDA Focuses on Produce Safety, MAHA, Culture, and More
• MAHA Report Sets Stage for Overhaul of Food Chemicals, Environmental Contaminants, and Childhood Nutrition
• What the Final MAHA Report Could Mean for Food Safety
• FDA Announces 'Proactive' Post-Market Chemical Review Program to Keep Food Supply Safe
• FDA Adds Six Artificial Food Dyes to List of Chemicals Under Post-Market Review
• FDA to Issue Proposed Rule Tightening GRAS Oversight
• FDA's Developing Rule to Tighten GRAS Oversight Moves to White House
• FDA, USDA Issue Joint RFI to Address the Risks of Ultra-Processed Foods
• California Enacts Law Defining Ultra-Processed Foods, Will Ban UPFs in Schools
• Food Industry Stakeholders Share Input on FDA, USDA's Intent to Define UPFs
• MAHA Pushback Kills 'Big Food'-Aligned Legislative Effort to Stop State Food Laws
• Industry Giants Support New Coalition Aimed at Stopping MAHA-Aligned State Food Additive Bans
• More Than 80 Groups Urge Congress Not to Block State Food Additives Bans
• Ep. 187. Rainer and Coneski: Evolving Legislation Around Food Packaging Chemicals and Additives—Implications for Industry
• Ep. 199. George Misko: The Future of Food Regulation Under MAHA
• Ep. 162. Brian Sylvester: How the California Food Safety Act is Shaping U.S. Food Additives Regulation
• Ep. 207. Brian Sylvester: Preparing for 'MAHA'-Driven Policy Changes on Food Dyes, UPFs, GRAS

FDA's focus on infant formula safety and the infant botulism outbreak linked to ByHeart formula [57:44]:

• FDA Publishes Long-Term Strategy to Increase Resiliency of U.S. Infant Formula Market
• FDA Launches 'Operation Stork Speed' to Improve Infant Formula Safety, Including Contaminant Testing
• Infants Nationwide Hospitalized With Botulism After Consuming ByHeart Formula
• ByHeart Outbreak Grows: 31 Infants in 15 States Hospitalized for Botulism From Tainted Formula
• Infant Botulism Spike Exceeds 100 Cases, Extent of ByHeart's Involvement Unclear
• A History of Food Safety Failures at ByHeart, the Formula Company Behind Infant Botulism Outbreak
• ByHeart Finds Widespread Contamination in Infant Formula as Botulism Outbreak Grows; FDA Publishes Inspection Reports
• Coalition Urges RFK Jr. to Fix Infant Formula Oversight Problems that Allowed Infant Botulism Outbreak
• FDA Urges Industry to Improve Recall Efficiency After Delay in Removing ByHeart Formula from Stores

Emerging science on Listeria monocytogenes and biofilms [1:08:26]:

• Study Shows Water Hoses as Reservoirs for Biofilms in Food Processing Facilities
• Study Demonstrates Listeria's Ability to Colonize, Survive in Preexisting Multispecies Biofilms
• First-of-its-Kind Study Shows How Listeria Strains Evolve Into Strong Biofilm Formers
• Study Explores Sanitizer Limitations Against Listeria Biofilms in Leafy Greens Production
• Listeria From Multispecies Biofilms More Prone to Growth in RTE Foods, Study Shows
• Study Shows Combining Antimicrobial Blue Light and Chemical Sanitizers Can Enhance Listeria Inactivation
• FAO/WHO Developing Risk Assessment Models for Listeria in Four Food Commodity Groups

The ongoing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 (HPAI H5N1) outbreak in U.S. dairy cattle and poultry flocks and continued monitoring to ensure food safety [1:14:09]:

• California Declares State of Emergency Over HPAI H5N1 Outbreak in Dairy Cows
• USDA Begins Five-Part National Milk Testing Strategy for HPAI H5N1
• USDA Extends H5N1 Testing in Dairy Cattle; EU Releases Guidance on Avian Flu Prevention
• CDC: Avoid Consuming Raw Milk, as Risk of Bird Flu Infection is Low but Possible
• FDA-Backed Study Shows Aging Raw Milk Cheese Does Not Inactivate Avian Flu, but Low pH Helps
• Study Shows Avian Flu Does Not Pose Food Safety Risk in Various Pasteurized Dairy Products
• USDA to Invest in Farm Biosecurity, Chicken Vaccinations to Combat Avian Influenza
• Study Shows Acidification is Inexpensive, Easy Way to Inactivate Bird Flu in Raw Waste Milk
• FDA Now Requires Raw Pet Food Manufacturers to Consider HPAI in Food Safety Plans
• House Cat Dies After Eating Raw Pet Food Contaminated With HPAI H5N1
• FDA-Backed Study Shows Aging Raw Milk Cheese Does Not Inactivate Avian Flu, but Low pH Helps
• H5N1 and the Growing Risk to Food Safety—Why Raw Milk Requires Special Attention
• FDA Begins Testing Assignment for HPAI H5N1 in Aged Raw Cow Milk Cheese
• FAO Encourages All Countries to Monitor for HPAI H5N1 Spread to Cattle
• Dutch Field Studies Show Promise for Two Experimental Avian Flu H5N1 Vaccines
• Federal Workforce Data Reveal Impact of Trump Admin RIFs on USDA Food Safety Expertise

Growing artificial intelligence (AI) applications for food safety [1:17:57]:

• FAO Report Highlights Needs for Responsible AI Adoption in Food Safety Fields
• FDA Announces Completion of First AI-Assisted Scientific Review Pilot and Agency-Wide AI Rollout Timeline
• Using AI, Researchers Offer Promising Real-Time Mycotoxin Detection Method for Foods
• Big Data, AI, and the Coming Philosophical Challenges with Food Safety
• Welcome to the Machine: AI and Potential Implications for the Food Industry
• Ep. 193. Christian Ararat: A Global Perspective on Auditing, Certifications, AI, and Beyond
• Ep. 205. Black and Gabor: Digital Transformation and Emerging International Standards for Food Safety

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