Roundup: Food News You Can Use
Federal health agencies have paused all communications until February due to the new administration; additionally, food costs are changing because of bird flu and possible planned tariffs from neighboring countries. We took the time to round up important news and summarize it for you. Here is a list of news bytes for health educators to stay updated on the news and help their students, patients, clients, and employees.
Red dye is banned by FDA
The FDA banned Red Dye Number 3 in all foods and consumable drugs. Food manufacturers have until January 15, 2027, to comply, while drug manufacturers have until January 15, 2028. This food color is usually found in candies, popsicles, baked goods, and any food that is artificially colored red. What do you have to do right now? If you would rather not have artificial coloring and chemicals in your food or medicine, read food ingredient lists. Otherwise, there is nothing to do right now. You can click the FDA link above to learn more about the research that prompted the ban. As we have outlined in many articles, it is better to shift from a diet of ultra-processed foods to more whole foods that are less processed, so as people make that shift, they will naturally consume less food color and additives.
@rubin_allergy is a medical doctor who is keeping everyone updated on more FDA news and recalls on Instagram and TikTok.
FDA and “healthy” food claim
The FDA recently issued a final rule about using the claim, “healthy” for food. This claim is voluntary. Here is an overview:
To bear the “healthy” claim, a food product needs to:
Contain a certain amount of food (food group equivalent) from at least one of the food groups or subgroups (such as fruits, vegetables, fat-free and low-fat dairy etc.) recommended by the Dietary Guidelines.
Adhere to specified limits for the following nutrients: saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.
Read more here. Consumers can watch for this claim on the front of packages as they continue to learn to read food labels and use them for better shopping decisions.
Bird flu causing upset in poultry and egg supply
Chicken farmers have been culling over 20 million chickens since the summer of 2024 due to bird flu. Due to this market disruption, consumers are paying higher costs for chicken and eggs.
No person-to-person transmission spread of bird flu (which could cause the next pandemic) has been identified as of this writing in January of 2025. However, US farm workers (who work on dairy farms and chicken farms) have gotten sick from the birds, and one has just died. Other mammals, such as cows and cats, have also gotten infected. The cat cases seem to be coming from raw milk or food that is contaminated with the virus.
What do you have to do right now?
Follow the CDC recommendations to buy pasteurized milk, yogurt, cheese, and dairy products. Do not consume any raw dairy products.
Thoroughly cook eggs and poultry to 165 degrees, which kills the virus.
Cook beef properly according to CDC guidelines noted in the link above.
While there are no food-borne bird flu outbreaks now, there are a few recorded in SE Asia, and it is always a good idea to cook these foods thoroughly to avoid other foodborne illnesses.
Cooking foods properly avoids the transmission of avian influenza A and other food-borne illnesses. News about the new strain H5N9 is here. WHO tips are here.
Follow food recalls on the USDA website.
To deal with the monetary pain or cost increases of chicken and eggs, buying these items on sale and freezing them is a good idea. You can also practice portion control and stretch recipes with beans and legumes. We will focus on food costs in upcoming articles.
US Withdraws from WHO
The US has withdrawn as a member of the World Health Organization. However, all educators and consumers can still obtain information from their website here and follow them on social media. The WHO website helps everyone stay informed about world health concerns and outbreaks. It can be a beneficial resource if you travel outside the country.
Upcoming tariff plans could increase food cost
Tariffs have not yet taken effect, but there is talk about levying tariffs up to 25% on neighboring countries, such as Canada and Mexico, starting February 1. We have to be vigilant on the news to understand the implications for consumers and help them accordingly so they can plan more budget-minded yet healthy meals.
Mexico helps supply out-of-season produce, like tomatoes and avocados and provides about 47% of our fruits and nuts. Avocados from Mexico represent a third of the fruit imported from Mexico into the US. Now can be a good time to explain how tariffs work and how to stock the pantry with canned goods made in America.
Labor unrest can have implications.
The Teamsters labor union involved in the food industry is experiencing unrest and threatening to strike. Additionally, with the deportation of undocumented immigrants, Central Valley farm workers in CA have not shown up to citrus farms, according to The CA Farm Bureau and Store Brands.
What you can do: Support local farmers and farmers markets and purchase items in season. Learning to plan menus and cook foods at home is also helpful because processed food and foods eaten away from home are more expensive. And doing away with food waste is a great plan now more than ever before. Our future articles and recipes will try to help everyone save more money and waste less food.
US Dietary Guideline recommendations are here
The US Dietary Guideline Committee has completed its recommendations for the new 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines based on research since the last time they were released. You can read them here. The next step is to get public comments, and then the new ones will be compiled and released toward the end of the year.
The new Dietary Guidelines recommendations talk about health at every life stage. Did you know there is a MyPlate life stages page to help folks understand the needs of people of every age and life stage here?
Food safety for the Super Bowl by the USDA
The USDA has a clever press release on food safety and the Super Bowl here. The gist of the message is not to run out the clock on items by storing them in the food danger zone. Keep hot foods hot, and cold foods cold. They state, “Pizza, chicken wings, hamburger sliders, chili and other Super Bowl favorites cannot stay at room temperature for more than two hours, what USDA calls the Danger Zone (temperatures between 40 F and 140 F). If perishable food is left out without hot or cold sources for too long, bacteria will multiply to unsafe levels that can cause foodborne illness.” Read more on their site.
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We published a list of hot topics for educators for 2025. Find them here.
