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Trump Adviser Warns of Regulations on Food Companies That Don’t Drop Dyes
The Trump administration may move to impose new regulations on food companies that don’t follow through on promises to remove artificial colorants from their products, White House adviser Calley Means said at a health industry conference on Tuesday.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has so far focused on getting voluntary commitments from companies like Kraft Heinz and Walmart on varying timelines.
While major food makers have sent cooperative signals, they’ve by and large stopped short of endorsing outright bans.
“There absolutely is an appetite to use the regulatory lever to protect kids when necessary,” Means said during an interview with Axios’ Maya Goldman at the HLTH 2025 conference in Las Vegas. Still, Means said it’s a “big victory” that major food and beverage companies have voluntarily agreed to remove artificial dyes. “We told the food companies, we can do this the hard way or the easy way,” he said.
New Coalition Targets ‘Ingredient Transparency’
Major food, agricultural and consumer products trade groups and companies have given their support to Americans for Ingredient Transparency (AFIT), a new policy advocacy coalition seeking a uniform national standard for ingredient transparency. Amid heightened public scrutiny of the contents of consumer packaged goods, AFIT said it’s pursuing federal legislation that would create one U.S. benchmark for ingredient transparency that “applies consistent, science- and risk-based principles to give Americans everywhere confidence in the safety of their foods, beverages and personal care products.”
With many states now enacting or considering their own ingredient transparency laws, the goal is to avoid the emergence of “an ever-expanding patchwork of disjointed food, beverage and personal care regulations” that would sow confusion among U.S. consumers, the coalition said. Specifically, AFIT said it will focus on reform of the generally recognized as safe, or GRAS, process, front-of-package labeling and QR codes.
To that end, the group wants federal legislation for a national regulatory approach to new ingredients for food and beverage products, along with nationwide regulations that require a front-of-pack nutrition labeling system that “guides consumers to healthier choices” and a QR code on packaging so shoppers can immediately access product information, including ingredient definitions.
The group also said it seeks to amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to establish the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as “the sole entity setting the floor and ceiling for regulations on the marketing and sale of foods, beverages and over-the-counter products in the United States.”
Gen X Latchkey Kids Top the List for Ultra-Processed Food Dependence: Study
The Good Men Project reported:
New research finds that a striking percentage of Generation X meets clinical criteria for ultra-processed food addiction, adding another layer to the burdens of midlife in an age of mounting pressures.
According to a new study published today in the journal Addiction, roughly 21% of women and 10% of men born in Generation X (1964 to 1980) and the trailing edge of the Baby Boomers, now in their fifties and early sixties, meet criteria for addiction to ultra-processed foods. Those numbers contrast starkly with older cohorts: among adults ages 65 to 80, just 12% of women and four percent of men meet the same criteria.
This finding is not just a dietary footnote; it may mark a generational scar. The generation that first matured amid the rise of convenience culture, drive-thrus, microwave dinners, and sugary snack aisles may now face another hidden affliction: a chemical and behavioral tie to the very products marketed as shorthand for modern life.
Beyond Meat Shares Slash Gains, Briefly Dipping Into the Red as Meme Rally Falters
Beyond Meat shares slashed gains Wednesday, briefly dipping into negative territory as the meme stock rally faltered. The food company known for its plant-based burgers and sausages rose just 15% in midday trading Wednesday, after surging 112% at one point in the session. The stock reached a high of $7.69 during the session, after closing Tuesday at $3.62. It was last above $4, up 14%.
It’s the latest in an extraordinary week for the company. On Monday, the stock rallied more than 127% after Roundhill Investments, which develops thematic ETFs, added the name to its Roundhill Meme Stock. That decision appeared to have the added effect of driving a short squeeze in the stock, as investors rushed to cover their positions.
According to FactSet data, more than 63% of the shares available for trading were sold short. On Tuesday, Beyond Meat soared 146% in its best day ever, after saying it will expand distribution at Walmart stores.
Impossible Foods CEO Says That Plant-Based Meat Made a Big Marketing Mistake
“It became woke and partisan and political and divisive,” McGuinness said during an appearance at Semafor’s World Economy Summit in Washington, D.C. McGuinness said plant-based food is “not in vogue right now” and it’s “not our cultural moment,” but companies like his can’t afford to give up on the U.S. market. “We can’t give up on the US, because it’s a massive, massive market,” he said.
According to The Good Food Institute, plant-based meat and seafood dollar sales decreased 7% in 2024. The decreasing consumption of meat alternatives is partially based on a correction from the initial hype, McGuinness said.
Impossible Foods’ CEO also said the current trend is partially a result of how the original marketing alienated a whole class of potential consumers. “If you want to use less water, and have less GHG emissions, and use less land, you don’t target vegans, obviously,” McGuinness said. “You have to target meat eaters and get them to try your product, but you don’t get them to try your product by insulting them,” he said.
Egg Recall Expands Over Salmonella Concerns
A recall has widened for eggs sold under Black Sheep Egg Company and Kenz Henz labels, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in an updated advisory to consumers. The eggs sold by Arkansas-based Black Sheep and repackaged under the Kenz Henz brand in the Houston, Texas, area may contain the bacteria salmonella, federal regulators said.
Published reports say the recall may affect more than six million eggs that had been shipped. The recalled Black Sheep Egg Company product is in 12- and 18-count cartons. These “Free Range Large Grade A Brown Eggs” have “best by” dates between Aug. 22 and Oct. 31 on the sides of the cartons, the FDA said. “Products may have been further distributed to other states, and additional products will be added to this advisory as information becomes available,” a news release said. Consumers, restaurants and retailers should not eat, sell or serve recalled eggs.
In addition, they should “carefully clean and sanitize any surfaces or containers that the recalled eggs touched,” the FDA emphasized. The egg recall stems from an FDA inspection at a Black Sheep Egg Company egg processing facility earlier this year, officials said. Salmonella can cause diarrhea, fever, and stomach pains and can be harmful or potentially deadly to young children, the elderly and people with deficient immune systems or other medical conditions.
A Surprising Cause of Some Urinary Tract Infections: Contaminated Meat
Researchers have identified a surprising cause of some urinary tract infections: contaminated meat. A four-year study found that nearly 1 in 5 UTIs detected among a group of patients in Southern California were most likely caused by the consumption of chicken, turkey, pork or beef that carried E. coli bacteria. The common understanding is that most UTIs are caused by improper hygiene or sexual contact. Around six million to eight million cases are recorded in the U.S. every year, and around 80% are caused by E. coli bacteria. But the strains responsible for the majority of UTIs are not the ones typically associated with foodborne illnesses, which cause diarrhea and vomiting.
The new research, published Thursday in the journal mBio, hints at the prevalence of foodborne UTIs, which were largely unknown to scientists two decades ago. “This is the latest in a long series of studies that have shown that we’re getting some of our urinary tract infections from food,” said Dr. Martin Blaser, a microbiologist at Rutgers University, who was not involved in the research.
“A study like this allows people to draw inferences, to understand what’s going on,” he added. “If somebody develops a urinary tract infection, they’re now wondering, ‘Well, was it the hamburger I ate three days ago or five days ago?’”
