HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. To Meet With Food Industry Leaders
Food industry leaders of General Mills and PepsiCo, along with the Consumer Brands Association, are expected to meet with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday, March 10. A source confirmed plans for the meeting to Fox News Digital on Saturday.
While the topics for discussion have not been confirmed, the food industry as a whole has been a target of RFK Jr.’s since the initial launch of his presidential campaign.
A source affiliated with the Make America Healthy Again movement shared with Fox News Digital that senior leaders may discuss the topic of the U.S. adjusting its regulations for additives and dyes to meet European standards.
There are over 3,000 food additives permitted in the U.S., while the European Union only allows around 300 different food additives, according to Tilley Distribution, a global specialty ingredients distribution center based in Maryland.
RFK Jr. and Influencers Bash Seed Oils, Baffling Nutrition Scientists
Until recently, most Americans had never heard the term “seed oils,” even though they’ve likely cooked with and consumed them for decades. It’s the catchy description coined by internet influencers, wellness gurus, and some politicians to refer to common cooking oils — think canola, soybean, and corn oil — that have long been staples in many home kitchens.
Those fiery critics refer to the top refined vegetable oils as “the hateful eight” and claim that they’re fueling inflammation and high rates of chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new health secretary, has said Americans are being “unknowingly poisoned” by seed oils and has called for fast-food restaurants to return to using beef tallow, or rendered animal fat, in their fryers instead.
In response, some food makers have stripped seed oils from their products and restaurants like the salad chain Sweetgreen have removed them from their menus. Many Americans say they now avoid seed oils, according to a recent survey by the International Food Information Council, an industry trade group.
USDA Predicts 41% Rise in Egg Prices Amid Mass Bird Culling
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a new forecast predicting a 41% increase in egg prices this year, surpassing previous projections of a 20% rise. The sharp increase is attributed to the mass culling of poultry in response to a devastating outbreak of avian influenza, or bird flu.
Egg prices have climbed to an average of $4.95 per dozen this month, with some consumers paying over $1 per egg in certain stores. This price surge is directly linked to the mass culling of over 166 million birds, primarily chickens, in efforts to contain the spread of the virus. Last month alone, nearly 19 million chickens were slaughtered on farms across the country.
The rising costs are also impacting restaurants, with popular chains like Denny’s and Waffle House adjusting menu prices to accommodate the increasing cost of eggs.
Lab-Grown Food Could Be Sold in UK Within Two Years
Meat, dairy and sugar grown in a lab could be on sale in the U.K. for human consumption for the first time within two years, sooner than expected.
The Food Standards Agency is looking at how it can speed up the approval process for lab-grown foods. Such products are grown from cells in small chemical plants.
U.K. firms have led the way in the field scientifically but feel they have been held back by the current regulations. Dog food made from meat that was grown in factory vats went on sale in the U.K. for the first time last month.
In 2020, Singapore became the first country to authorise the sale of cell-cultivated meat for human consumption, followed by the United States three years later and Israel last year. However, Italy and the U.S. states of Alabama and Florida have instituted bans.
Mission Barns Gets FDA Approval to Sell Cultivated Pork in US Supermarkets & Restaurants
Californian food tech startup Mission Barns has become the third cultivated meat firm to receive regulatory approval in the U.S., with a planned rollout at Sprouts and Bay Area restaurant group Fiorella. Mission Barns has earned U.S. regulatory approval to sell its cultivated pork fat in the U.S., after securing a ‘no questions’ letter from the Food and Drug Administration on Friday.
It is the third company to have received the green light to sell cultivated meat in the U.S. — after fellow Californian firms Upside Foods and Eat Just in 2022 and 2023, respectively — and the first to be cleared to sell cultivated pork anywhere in the world.
The cell-cultured fat will be mixed with plant-based ingredients in Italian-style meatballs and applewood-smoked bacon, which will be debuted at San Francisco restaurant group Fiorella and Sprouts Farmers Market — marking the first time cultivated meat will be sold in a U.S. supermarket.
