Food Politics by Marion Nestle
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I am not usually a fan of techno foods, but I have to admit: this one might have possibilities. World’s first cell-based chocolate bar developed with Mondelēz: The first-ever milk chocolate bars made with cell-cultivated cocoa butter have been produced… Read more Here’s how this works: Celleste Bio uses cell suspension culture technology to produce […] The post Cell-based chocolate? Oh, why not. appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
One of the reasons for Monday’s rally at the Supreme Court (see Monday’s post) is the food industry’s efforts to be able to continue to use whatever additives it chooses, without regulatory oversight. A press release from the Environmental Working Group warns: ‘FRESH’ and Affordable Foods Act is rotten to the core. This refers to […] The post Preempting the GRAS loophole: not a good idea appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
It’s deja vu all over again. During the Trump I administration, I wrote repeatedly about the tragic relocation of the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) to Kansas. As I said, the Government Accountability Office confirmed my analysis. Why tragic? I don’t have anything against Kansas, but expecting long-time residents of the Washington, DC area to […] The post American tragedy redux: USDA is relocating more programs out of the DC area appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
Farm Action has joined Vani Hari (the Food Babe) and other groups in this People vs. Poison rally. Livestream it here. The “poison” here is glyphosate, the potentially carcinoenic weed killer manufactured by Monsanto (now owned by Bayer) for use with genetically modified crops. People vs. Poison says, “For decades they poisoned us for profit. […] The post Happening today: Rally against glyphosate at the Supreme Court: The People vs. Poison appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
Vital Strategies has issued two reports about digital marketing of soda and alcohol based on AI analysis of web content: Sick from Scrolling: Protecting the Next Generation from the Flood of Unregulated Social Media Marketing. Soda and alcohol marketing is flooding social media at a scale that outpaces regulation—embedding brands into sports highlights, influencer content […] The post Weekend reading: online marketing of soda and alcohol appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
Pesticides, herbicides, and other agricultural chemicals in food are of great concern right now, and getting rid of them is high on the agenda of Make America Health Again (MAHA). This will not be easy. The chemicals pervade the food supply and Big Ag producers claim that cannot grow food without them. We have already […] The post Current events in agricultural chemicals appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
It’s hard to keep up with what’s happening with food innovations. Manufacturers have to keep coming up with new products to encourage sales. Functional foods—those with ingredients over and above what’s in natural foods—seem to work. But so do others. Here is a sample. Functional food craze: What are the next breakout ingredients? After a year […] The post Annals of food marketing: some new items appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
FRAC, the venerable Food Research & Action Center, is tracking trends in SNAP participation. The decline is not because of lack of need. As FRAC explains, it is the result of deliberate efforts by the Trump administration to reduce SNAP enrollments. At the end of 2024, President Trump intervened to allow replacement benefits for victims […] The post Just as expected, SNAP participation is declining, and by a lot appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
No food or supplement is too small to evade research aimed at selling it. Try this one: ADM study: Postbiotic supports metabolic health markers in labradors: Supplementing labradors with the postbiotic Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis CECT 8145 may influence metabolic health markers during weight change, according to ADM research…. Read more ADM makes dietary supplements. NutraIngredients.com […] The post Industry funded study of the week: a dog supplement appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
I always like to know what the food industry is thinking, and was interested to run across a new report from the National Association of Manufacturers: Manufacturers Feed America: Strengthening Communities, Fueling Innovation, Growing the Economy. It begins: Behind every grocery store shelf is a carefully designed system that ensures American families can count on […] The post Weekend reading: Manufacturers Feed America appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
With all the fuss over defining the term ultra-processed, public and private groups are filling the gap with labels that identify foods that are not ultra-processed. I know of three ultra-processed labeling initiatives so far. I. Leading the way is the Non GMO Project. It already is licensing foods meeting its non ultra-processed standards to carry this seal. […] The post Coming soon to a supermarket near you: Non ultra-processed! appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
I’ve been writing about Beyond Meat’s financial troubles since at least 2022, so the latest problems come as no surprise. Beyond Meat, you will recall, makes plant-based meat alternatives: nutrition powerhouses, clean protein, fiber essential for the gut microbiome. Recently, Beyond Meat announced that it would be moving into beverages—“a logical move—and not an admission […] The post What’s happening to Beyond Meat? appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
EPA, HHS Announce Historic Actions to Protect Americans from Microplastics and Safeguard Drinking Water [EPA] For the first time in the program’s history, EPA is including microplastics as a priority contaminant group in its draft Sixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 6), now open for public comment. CCL 6 also includes pharmaceuticals as a group—another first—along […] The post The new microplastics initiatives: steps in the right direction appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
I was interested to run across this article announcement: Nestlé researchers find Taurine-B vitamin blend may support motivation: A study in healthy adults found that daily supplementation had a positive impact on motivation, attention, mental energy and effort toward achieving goals after 14 days of intake…. Read more It immediately raised the question: Why would […] The post Industry-funded study of the week: Taurine supplements appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
I know I just posted a bunch of these, but here are even more. To understand what’s happening with alternative meats—both plant- and cell-based—it helps to remember that companies making these products are businesses funded by venture capitalists. The European Union’s recent ban on using the term “meaty” to apply to these products could have […] The post Weekend reading: more on alternative meats appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
The new MAHA dietary guidelines could mean that changes are coming to school meals. Or so the USDA says. While waiting for the USDA to issue new rules, various groups are urging specific improvements. United We Eat, a coalition of MAHA-supporting groups, urges the USDA Secretary to get busy Aligning School Meal Standards with the […] The post New school food rules on the horizon? appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
Mehmet Oz’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sent a memo to hospitals last week, telling them to align their food service policies and practices with the 2025–2030 dietary guidelines (see announcement in video). Hospitals should: • Limit ultra-processed food options for patients. • Eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages unless clinically appropriate in limited scenarios. • […] The post HHS issues new guidelines for food served in hospitals appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
The American Heart Association has just published its updated dietary guidelines: The 2026 Dietary Guidance to Improve Cardiovascular Health: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association [the press release is here]. These constitute a firm rebuttal to the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) guidelines issued in January. The AHA’s clear and straightforward messages are […] The post Dietary guidelines: AHA v. MAHA appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
Eileen M. Duffy, Publisher and editor of Edible Port City (Wilmington NC) sent me this announcement: Kimchi probiotic promotes the excretion of nanoplastics from the gut. Experiments have confirmed that lactic acid bacteria isolated from kimchi can bind with intestinal microplastics and promote their excretion from the body. In an animal study, the amount of […] The post Industry-funded study of the week: Kimchi appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
Vital Strategies has just released two of its Canary platform reports based on use of AI. Here’s its webinar. From Stadiums to Screens: Coca-Cola’s Sportswashing at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Exposing Alcohol’s Advertising Playbook: Digital Marketing in RESET Alcohol Initiative Countries The findings: During the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup (June 14-July 13), Coca-Cola […] The post Weekend reading: AI’s analysis of soda and alcohol marketing on social media appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
While we are on the topic of labels, here’s the USDA’s newest: “Tastes like freedom?” You have to love the Orwellian rhetoric. “Our great patriot ranchers and producers grow, raise, and harvest the world’s safest, most affordable, and abundant food supply. American consumers want to support America by buying American and this label will strengthen […] The post USDA’s newest label: Made in America appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
RFK Jr has promised that we will soon ahve a new front-of-package label.. As soon as they define ultra-processed foods, Every food in your grocery store will have a label on it,” Kennedy told [Joe] Rogan. “It’ll have, maybe, a green light, a red light, or a yellow light telling you whether or not it’s […] The post Front-of-package label designs: Which one works best? appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
I can hardly believe that infant formula, one of the most tightly regulated products on the market, is in the news, but it sure is. Let’s start with RFK Jr. Amazing. I thought infant formula companies were already doing that. Without question, millions of Americans were raised on the existing infant formulas and have done […] The post What’s happening with infant formula? appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
A reader, Betsy Keller, sent me this one. Her question: Who funded this? Take a guess! The study: The Sweet Tooth Trial: A Parallel Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating the Effects of A 6-Month Low, Regular, or High Dietary Sweet Taste Exposure on Sweet Taste Liking, and Various Outcomes Related to Food Intake and Weight Status. The […] The post Industry-funded study of the week: The Sweet Tooth Trial appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
Take a look at this new report: I love the report’s quick summary: Mostly, this report looks at additives. The authors looked at 800 products. Their basic finding: the cheaper the price, the greater the number of additives. The report calls for a collection of policy interventions to improve standards for additives in foods. I […] The post Weekend reading: The hidden cost of cheap food appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
Plant- and cell-based meats are not doing as well as expected, and the new dietary guidelines, pro-meat and anti-highly processed don’t help this cause much. Here are some items I’ve collected lately on this topic. Does plant-based meat still dominate the meat-free sector? Meat alternatives are in trouble, but traditional plant-based and vegetarian foods will […] The post Catching up with meat alternatives appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
A reader, Jennifer Windh, has done some serious investigation of loopholes in USDA’s school food rules that allow lots of ultra-processed snacks to be sold a la carte (“competitive foods”) outside of the USDA’s school meals program. USDA’s nutrition tandards also apply to competitive foods: Smart Snacks in Schools. The final rule for these standards, […] The post USDA school food rules allow plenty of ultra-processed snacks appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
University of California Press has just announced the forthcoming publication of my next book in September. This one is co-authored with Lisa Sutherland, a former vice president of Kellogg, currently interim president of Jacksonville University. We had a great time doing it. From the publisher: If you want to understand how the food business works, […] The post Announcing: Sugar Coated (September 2026) appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
The study: Efficacy of 42-month oral administration of glucoraphanin in preventing cognitive decline in individuals at elevated risk of dementia, including those with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study. Frontiers in Nutrition. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1740494 Objective: This study evaluated the long-term efficacy of glucophoranin (GLR) supplementation on cognitive function in older adults at an elevated […] The post Industry-funded study of the week: a broccoli sprouts’ supplement appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
While I am on the topic of legal challenges, UNICEF has produced an invaluable resource. PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM UNHEALTHY FOOD MARKETING: A Toolkit for Developing Effective Laws. It is based on a previous UNICEF document, Taking Action to Protect Children from the Harmful Impact of Food Marketing: A Child Rights-based Approach. It includes Model Legal Language […] The post Weekend reading: A how-to on writing laws to protect kids against food marketing appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
Here’s the chronology: In June, Texas passed the “Make Texas Healthy Again” bill which required food companies to put warning labels on products containing any of 44 ingredients such as artificial additives, dyes, and chemicals. As I wrote at the time, the label would have to say: WARNING: This product contains an ingredient that is not […] The post Lawsuit #3: banning food dyes in Texas appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle
The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement now counts 22 states as having passed laws eliminating sodas and sometimes other sweet foods from what SNAP recipients are allowed to buy with their electronic benefit cards. I am often asked what I think about these laws. I can argue them either way. Pro: Even with these […] The post Lawsuit #2: SNAP restrictions appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle