Food Safety Matters – Episode 208: Reviewing 2025—A Year of Change for Food Safety Policy
Date: December 23, 2025
Host: Stacey Acheson, with Adrian Blum, Bob Ferguson, and Bailey Henderson
Episode Overview
This “Year in Review” episode of Food Safety Matters brings together the editorial team to discuss 2025’s most significant developments in food safety. In a year marked by regulatory upheaval, evolving science, and rising public attention, the team reviews top stories, analyzes trends, and previews what might be ahead for 2026. The conversation is insightful, candid, and focused on the impact of political and social shifts on global food safety, with a strong throughline of gratitude for food safety professionals.
Key Themes & Discussion Points
1. Celebrating Food Safety Successes (00:38 – 05:02)
- The episode begins on a positive note, recognizing food safety professionals worldwide.
- Bob Ferguson shares a noteworthy statistic: despite the focus on recalls and illnesses, “99.99% of all meals in the U.S. are not associated with a foodborne illness” (03:59).
- Context: 400 billion meals consumed annually in the U.S. vs. reported/estimated illness rates.
- Quote: “Food safety professionals are feeding the world with an extraordinary high level of safety, accuracy, and skill... probably the overall safest global food supply ever in history.” – Bob Ferguson (04:39)
2. The Trump Administration’s Impact on Food Safety Agencies (07:52 – 27:50)
Communications Freeze and Cuts
- After the new administration took office, a communications freeze was imposed on federal agencies (FDA, USDA, CDC), stalling food safety data sharing (07:52).
- Significant layoffs: FDA Human Foods Program lost ~20% of staff; CDC lost ~1,300 personnel; USDA lost 11,000+ with some rehired after abrupt reversals (10:45).
- Key personnel changes: Deputy Commissioner Jim Jones resigned, replaced by Kyle Diamantis; Inspector General Phyllis Fong and new CDC Director Susan Mineras both fired.
Public Interest and Media Coverage
- Bailey Henderson notes “five of our top six articles of the year related to the Trump administration’s impact. Federal news dominated traffic” (08:45).
- “Searches for the term ‘food safety’ rose sharply in 2025, hitting an all-time high since 2004” – Bailey (08:45)
- Public outcry accompanied committee eliminations (NACMCF and NACMPI) and abrupt regulatory policy changes.
Scrutiny and Pushback
- Stakeholders and public health groups called for reinstatement of advisory committees and even for the resignation of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over “anti-science” policies (25:07).
- Food safety has been increasingly politicized and the long-term effects on agency staff and science-based policy are unclear.
Memorable Moments/Quotes
- “It’s really overwhelmingly a very successful operation... but we talk about the .001%.” – Bob Ferguson (03:59)
- “We have lost so many key scientists, experts, and support staff this year.” – Adrian Blum (16:44)
- “It isn’t just the Trump administration doing things—it’s a lot of kind of fighting back... by stakeholder groups as well.” – Adrian (26:24)
- “When you have this many public health professionals, scientists, and stakeholder groups calling for a secretary’s resignation on the basis of anti-science policies... it merits attention.” – Adrian (25:13)
3. State and Federal Focus on Food Additives, Ultra-Processed Foods & MAHA Movement (27:50 – 53:49)
Red Dye 3 and Food Additive Policy
- Revocation of Red Dye 3 got more engagement than any other 2025 post (28:28).
- “It’s just interesting... Red Dye 3 authorization revoked before the Trump administration, but credit maybe is being taken now.” – Bailey (28:28)
- Ongoing pressure to reform food additives, transparency, and labeling, influenced by the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement.
- MAHA has driven state legislation around warning labels, disclosure, and bans of certain additives.
GRAS Rule—the ‘Loophole' Debate
- MAHA prioritized closing the “GRAS loophole.” In Sept 2025, FDA proposed to make GRAS notifications mandatory (33:54).
- Debate: self-certification vs. requiring full FDA review—thousands of ingredients might be affected (37:01).
- Consumer awareness about GRAS is increasing—“Even my dad mentioned it was confusing!” – Bailey (34:43)
- Potential supply chain chaos if all GRAS ingredients required new approval.
Defining Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs)
- Efforts to standardize a federal definition for UPFs; disputes over the best approach (nutrient content vs. processing methods).
- California passed Real Food Healthy Kids Act with a category for ultra-processed foods.
- Nutrition vs. Process: “Infant formula is one of the most studied foods but also highly processed. Is that something we want to exclude?” – Bob (42:19)
- “This may end up being a ‘you know it when you see it’ situation—everyone will have a slightly different definition.” – Bob (44:19)
Social and Economic Dissonance
- Ongoing dissonance around regulations and consumer choice, affordability of healthy food, and education vs. bans.
- “We need to educate and be more aware but by and large it’s good when people start asking questions about food.” – Stacey (45:14)
Resource:
- For legal complexities, see episodes 162 (Jan 2024) and 207 (Dec 2025) with Brian Sylvester (53:00).
Memorable Quotes
- “People outside the industry are starting to use the word GRAS or at least have some understanding of it... It is wild to me.” – Bailey (34:43)
- “The proof is in the pudding.” – Bob (37:02)
4. Environmental Contaminants: PFAS & Chemical Policy (54:41 – 57:41)
- PFAS (“forever chemicals”) in food and water remains a significant but under-discussed public health issue.
- Previous EPA rules on PFAS in drinking water were rolled back; now under reconsideration (55:23).
- “PFAS needs to be a bigger part of the conversation...we’ve just dropped the ball on it, I think.” – Bailey (56:30)
- Recap: “As a whole, I think there’s just been so many other things...it’s hard to juggle everything at once.” – Adrian (56:40)
5. Infant Formula Safety & Operation Stork Speed (57:43 – 68:27)
Context and Outbreak
- FDA launched Operation Stork Speed to address infant formula safety, following the 2022–2023 Cronobacter outbreak and shortage.
- Trump administration’s initiative includes increased testing, but staff and budget cuts have cast doubt on its efficacy (61:25).
- Multi-state outbreak of infant botulism linked to ByHeart powdered formula: at least 51 cases, with Clostridium botulinum found in unopened cans (57:57).
- FDA released facility inspection reports showing longstanding hygiene lapses.
Regulatory Gaps and Stakeholder Insights
- Reagan-Udall Foundation published recommendations for formula safety—but focused only on nutrients, heavy metals, labeling, not on pathogens.
- “Testing is not what’s going to make the food safe; it’s the process... The testing is to verify the process.” – Bob (64:17)
- “You can’t test your way to safety.” – Stacey quoting Larry Kane (64:40)
- Anecdote: FDA sent a “reminder” to major retailers (Walmart, Target, Kroger, Albertsons) after recalled formula was found still on sale (66:58).
Transparency and Policy Concerns
- Stakeholder consensus emerged for updating infant formula nutrient requirements (last done in 1998).
- Need to expand the FDA’s Closer to Zero initiative (aimed at infants’ foods and heavy metals) to include formula.
- Critique: flashy names and promises (“Operation Stork Speed”) while rolling back essential staffing and resources (61:25).
Notable Quote
- “This focus on infant formula is something that started years ago after the Abbott recall and the shortage.” – Bailey (61:25)
- “Restocking recalled formula at a discount. ... There’s a real lack of coordination. ... No excuse for that.” – Adrian (67:34)
6. Listeria and Biofilms: New Science, Persistent Risks (68:27 – 74:01)
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Surge in research on Listeria’s presence in protective biofilms, especially in ready-to-eat food environments (69:27).
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Notable studies: prevalence of pathogens in processing facility water hoses and rapid colonization in multi-species biofilms.
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**“How many food processing facilities use water hoses? Most of them... So I thought that was really interesting.” – Adrian (72:00)
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Bailey highlighted a “deep science” evolutionary study on Listeria’s genetics and biofilm formation (73:19).
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Food Safety 5 Videos: Bailey’s content on these topics drove high engagement and views across platforms (70:59).
- “Talking about Listeria really popped off, as the kids would say.” – Bailey (70:59)
7. Ongoing Avian Flu Monitoring (74:01 – 76:55)
- USDA & FDA reinforced that pasteurized dairy is safe, but raw milk can present avian flu risks.
- USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service was particularly impacted by workforce reductions; large investments made for biosecurity and vaccine work (74:01).
- Bob: “Really a risk to the flocks and availability of food. ... But we have to watch for that species jump—human-to-human transmission.” (76:03)
- FDA now requires raw pet food manufacturers to consider H5N1 a “reasonably foreseeable hazard” in FSMA plans (76:55).
8. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Food Safety (76:55 – 89:00)
Rapid Adoption, Cautious Optimism
- FDA adopted “agentic AI tools” to streamline complex work (reviews, inspections, validation), aiming for internal rollout within months (80:25).
- Practical applications: lab efficiency, supply chain monitoring, predictive analytics, regulatory compliance.
- Christian Ararat (Ep. 193), Tom Black, & Gabor Molnar (Ep. 203) offered recent expert perspectives.
Human Oversight Is Key
- “AI assists human decision making, it doesn’t replace it. Let’s hope that remains a fundamental tenet.” – Adrian (79:46)
- Bob: “AI is going to revolutionize a lot. ... But I think it’s a little ahead of its skis right now.” (85:58)
- Cautionary parallel: Dot-com bubble and e-commerce didn’t upend everything in two years—it took time (87:05).
Food Safety Magazine’s Own AI Tool
- The site now offers an 'Ask Food Safety AI’ tool to help users find food safety resources and summaries (84:20).
Notable Moments & Quotes
- “Opaque is a great word. There’s so much we still don’t know.” – Stacey (re: CDC/FDA post-staff cuts) (21:44)
- “You can’t test your way to safety. It’s about actually having a program that works.” – Bob (64:17)
- “If you want us to review chemicals like Europe does, we need to be resourced like Europe is.” – Bailey (31:43)
- “Regulatory dissonance everywhere—we’re not in Kansas anymore.” – Stacey (31:17)
- “I was sad to see Jim Jones go because he was really, it seemed, trying to affect some change—or at least be honest about it.” – Bailey (22:17)
- “Restocking recalled formula at a discount. ... That’s a real lack of coordination and there’s just no excuse for that.” – Adrian (67:34)
Useful Resources & Further Listening
- Episodes on Legal and Regulatory State Additives:
- Upcoming Expert Interview:
- Helena Bottmiller Evich (“Food Fix” and MAHA expert) – Next episode (54:04)
- AI in Food Safety:
- Ep. 193 (Christian Ararat)
- Ep. 203 (Tom Black & Gabor Molnar)
- Food Safety 5 Video Series (Annual highlights and science coverage) (70:59)
- For “Ask Food Safety AI” tool: foodsafetymagazine.com (84:20)
Final Thoughts & Takeaways
- 2025 was a turbulent, politically charged year in food safety but also one with scientific advances and unprecedented public engagement.
- Human expertise, transparency, and thoughtful reform (rather than reactionary or populist policy) are recurring themes in effective food safety work.
- The role of AI is expected to grow, but nothing will supplant the need for human oversight and expertise.
- Recognition of food safety professionals’ success and dedication—despite the constant focus on failures—is vital.
Hosts:
- Stacey Acheson (A), Publisher
- Adrian Blum (C), Editorial Director
- Bob Ferguson (D), President of Strategic Consulting
- Bailey Henderson (B), Digital Editor
Closing Message:
“Thank you to all food safety professionals. You rarely get the praise you deserve but you truly are keeping billions of meals safe each year. Keep fighting the good fight!” – Food Safety Matters Team (05:02)