Items Tagged with 'President Trump and food safety industry'

EPA repealed Biden-era amendments that had tightened emissions regulations under the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule. Critics warn that this decision could lead to greater bioaccumulation of the neurotoxin methylmercury in fish, increasing human dietary exposure.

A presidential Executive Order invoked the Defense Production Act of 1950, asserting that glyphosate-based herbicides are critical to “national security.” MAHA supporters are pushing back on the order. 

New data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) shows the most recent and complete picture of workforce attrition at federal agencies responsible for food safety and public health.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to acclaimed food policy journalist Helena Bottemiller Evich about the rise of the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement, the current state of food and nutrition policy under its agenda, and predictions for its future.

According to a report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for USDA, 20,306 employees left the agency between January and June 2025. This does not include any attrition from the agency’s planned reorganization or the federal government shutdown.

To help paint a picture of how federal food safety and public health regulatory agencies have been affected by the second Trump Administration, this article provides a 2025 timeline summarizing major happenings at HHS, FDA, CDC, and USDA, including firings and hirings, restructurings, policy changes, program and budget cuts, and other actions.

In this year-end episode of Food Safety Matters, we round up the top stories of 2025, covering U.S. federal food safety policy changes under the Trump Administration, MAHA- and state-led moves against food additives of concern and ultra-processed foods, infant formula safety, science on Listeria and biofilms, ongoing monitoring of avian flu, and AI food safety applications.

On December 18, career food scientist and microbiologist Mindy Brashears, Ph.D. was confirmed by the Senate in a 53–42 vote for a second term as the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety, a role in which she will oversee USDA-FSIS.

A new analysis of U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) data conducted by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) quantified the impact of federal workforce cuts on experts and inspectors within USDA-FSIS and USDA-APHIS.

The FY 2026 appropriations bill, approved by Senate to end the U.S. government shutdown, sets forth FDA’s Human Foods Program budget for FY 2026. It also prohibits the use of federal funds to enforce certain FSMA rules within designated timeframes or for specific commodities.