Welcome to this week’s Food Exec Brief, your strategic intelligence roundup for food and beverage manufacturing leaders. This week, we’re covering:
- The FDA proposed mandatory safety notifications for GRAS ingredients, ending the voluntary system manufacturers have relied on since 1997, while a formal UPF definition went to the White House as a white paper instead of a binding rule.
- The administration’s Section 301 tariffs, targeting 59 countries and affecting 99.4% of U.S. imports, triggered lawsuits from 25 state attorneys general, as a new survey finds 85% of shoppers think brands use inflation as an excuse to raise prices.
- GLP-1 users now make up 22% of U.S. households and spend 4% less at the grocery store, trading pasta and packaged bakery for protein and functional nutrition.
The GRAS loophole is closing. The UPF definition is still coming.
The FDA proposed mandatory safety notifications for food additives self-affirmed as Generally Recognized as Safe, ending the voluntary system in place since 1997. Per an Environmental Working Group analysis, 99% of food chemicals added to products since 2000 entered the market through GRAS self-affirmation rather than formal FDA petition. Under the proposed rule, manufacturers would face a 45-day pre-filing review, a 120-day public comment window, and an FDA safety determination within 180 days. Acting Commissioner Kyle Diamantas led the announcement; HHS Secretary RFK Jr. had flagged this pathway as a MAHA policy priority. (Learn more)
The FDA sent its ultraprocessed food definition to the White House Office of Management and Budget as a white paper, not a binding rule. Congress isn’t waiting: the Sanders bill (SB 5026) would require warning labels for UPFs, and the Blumenthal-Booker bill (SB 5166) mandates FDA create official definitions and prohibit artificial ingredients in items labeled “natural.” California enacted the first U.S. statutory UPF definition in 2025. (Learn more)
Why it matters: Self-affirming GRAS gave manufacturers speed, but mandatory notifications will remove that edge and extend timelines. While a federal UPF rule is pending, standards are already emerging through courts, states, and Congress. Aligning portfolios with California’s definition builds a runway ahead of federal action.
Tariffs are back. Consumers aren’t giving you the benefit of the doubt.
The administration replaced its court-struck IEEPA tariffs with Section 301 duties on 59 countries, citing forced labor concerns, with rates of 10 to 12.5% on goods covering 99.4% of U.S. imports. Twenty-five state attorneys general filed suit within days, arguing the new tariffs are a workaround for rules courts already struck down twice. Colorado AG Phil Weiser called it exactly that. A Court of International Trade three-judge panel is now assigned to hear arguments. (Learn more)
The legal fight will take months. The consumer trust problem is already here. An Omnisend survey of 1,075 U.S. shoppers found 85% believe brands and retailers use inflation as an excuse to raise prices beyond what costs justify. Fifty-six percent stopped buying from affected brands. Only 15% accept rising ingredient costs as a legitimate reason for a price increase, and 65% say they notice shrinkflation most in groceries. (Learn more)
Why it matters: The tariff costs are legitimate. But manufacturers who can’t explain that clearly are accelerating the brand loyalty damage the data already shows. Every unexplained price move adds to it.
GLP-1 users now make up one in five households.
Twenty-two percent of U.S. households now include at least one GLP-1 user, double the rate from October 2023, according to Numerator’s quarterly tracker of 95,000+ consumer responses. Those households spend 4% less at grocery stores than comparable non-user households and control $660 billion in aggregate consumer spending across CPG, general merchandise, and QSR. The basket is shifting away from carb-centric items like pasta and packaged bakery, toward protein, fiber, seafood, and functional nutrition. (Learn more)
Sixty-six percent of former GLP-1 users quit within six months, meaning the segment is largely shaped by recent adopters whose habits may not hold. But at 22% household penetration, even a partially transient cohort is large enough to move category volume, and the direction they’re moving matches exactly where General Mills and Nestlé are already placing bets: protein claims, functional formats, and smaller portions.
Why it matters: This is no longer a trend to track on a slide deck. GLP-1 preferences are showing up in actual category performance right now. If your product roadmap doesn’t reflect the basket shift, you’re building for a consumer that’s already changed.
The Food Exec Brief provides weekly insights for food and beverage manufacturing leaders and publishes every Friday.
