Yesterday, the FDA announced it will give food companies an additional two and a half years to comply with new food safety rules that were set to go into effect in 2026.
The rules tighten standards around record keeping within supply chains, so that when food safety issues arise, it will be easier to trace and contain them. They were first proposed in 2020 during President Trump’s first term and finalized under former President Biden.
In December, more than 100 industry groups sent a de-regulatory wishlist to incoming President Trump that included an ask to delay the food safety requirements by “at least three years.” Among the signatories was FMI, The Food Industry Association, which represents grocers and other food companies. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who oversees the FDA, has said repeatedly that he would eliminate food industry influence within FDA.
In February, advocacy group U.S. PIRG released an analysis that found hospitalizations and deaths from contaminated food doubled in 2024 compared to 2023. “In the year 2025, the United States has access to some of the best technology in the world for keeping track of products moving through the food system, yet we still have a hard time figuring out where a bag of lettuce came from and getting contaminated peanut butter off the shelves,” Sarah Sorscher, director of regulatory affairs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), said in a statement criticizing the FDA’s decision. “Unfortunately, this delay will only serve to keep the public in the dark.”
On the same day, the agency also debuted a new tool that allows consumers to search for the contaminant levels FDA sets for substances including lead and pesticides. “HHS is committed to radical transparency to give Americans authentic, informed consent about what they are eating,” Kennedy said in the press release.
