Dive Brief:
- The House Freedom Caucus has released a document outlining a number of regulations the group suggests that the new administration examine or revoke when the president-elect and his Cabinet take office next year.
- Among the regulations the caucus recommends the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration remove are the revamp of the Nutrition Facts panel; calorie labeling on vending machines; programs in the Food Safety Modernization Act that aim to prevent intentional adulteration; the National School Lunch Program; the catfish inspection rule under USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service; the National Organic Program; and country of origin labeling (COOL) requirements for meat products.
- Other departmental regulations that could impact the food and beverage industry if removed include climate change and environmental sustainability policies; a law regulating the shipment of alcoholic beverages; commodity futures trading rules; and immigration laws.
Dive Insight:
It's still unclear how many of these laws will be tackled by the new administration or how long it will take before many of the cited regulations would be addressed.
President-elect Donald Trump has already committed to several varying initiatives, ranging from immigration to retaining American jobs. These initiatives have been hallmarks of Trump's campaign and first efforts since winning the election last month and may take precedence over other proposed regulation removals that could impact food and beverage manufacturers, retailers and farmers.
However, with a GOP-dominated Congress and GOP president-elect, the federal government may not find itself in the same stalemate that has slowed or halted various legislative efforts in recent years. The opposition could still filibuster, which may lead to more debate, or more gridlock. But the question here is whether these initiatives are a priority for everyone, or just this relatively small caucus.
Notably absent from this list was one major food and beverage regulations that could have a sweeping impact on the industry as a whole: mandatory GMO labeling.