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Tennessee passes bill making livestock starvation deaths a felony. The legislation, which cleared the state House on April 20 after Senate passage in late March, adds starvation resulting in the death of a livestock animal to the conduct constituting aggravated cruelty—a Class E felony—when done in a depraved and sadistic manner without justifiable purpose. The bill now awaits Governor Bill Lee's signature and would take effect on July 1 if signed into law. (wsmv.com)
USDA food safety complaints hit record high in fiscal 2025. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service received 2,016 complaints in fiscal year 2025, a 39.7% increase over the prior year and the highest total since the Consumer Complaint Monitoring System was established in 2001. Foreign objects accounted for 35.7% of complaints, and five investigations led to product control actions, including major recalls by Hormel and Hillshire involving wood and metal contamination. The spike comes as the Trump administration proposes weakening meat and poultry processing regulations, including raising slaughter line speeds for chicken, turkey, and pork. (gizmodo.com)
U.S. states diverge on cell-cultured meat bans as FDA modernizes food oversight. A roundup of U.S. food and beverage regulatory developments covers the FDA's launch of the BRIDGE Project to modernize domestic food facility inspections through better federal-state coordination, with a national rollout planned by 2028. Several states are pursuing divergent approaches to cell-cultured meat: South Dakota's governor vetoed an outright ban in favor of a five-year moratorium, the Eleventh Circuit upheld Florida's ban, Virginia enacted labeling requirements for products containing cell-cultured or plant proteins described as meat, and Mississippi will prohibit cell-cultured dairy products starting July 1. Separately, the FDA announced town halls on Food Traceability Rule implementation, published priority research needs for food safety, and extended its comment period on gluten-free labeling and cross-contact controls. Texas has also begun restricting SNAP benefits for candy and sweetened beverages. (jdsupra.com)
Study finds 98% of meat industry climate claims are greenwashing. A study published in PLOS Climate analyzed more than 1,200 environmental and climate-related claims by 33 of the world's largest animal agriculture companies and concluded that 98 percent constitute greenwashing. Researchers found that only 356 of the claims were backed by supporting evidence and just five were supported by scholarly research. While 17 of the companies have made net-zero pledges, none provided a clear pathway for achieving them, and only Nestlé made a financial commitment toward climate-related measures. The findings follow a 2024 lawsuit by New York Attorney General Letitia James against JBS USA, which resulted in a $1.1 million settlement over allegations the company misled the public about its sustainability commitments. (insideclimatenews.org)
Bipartisan DAIRY PRIDE Act reintroduced to curb plant-based labeling. Reps. John Joyce (R-PA) and Josh Riley (D-NY) reintroduced the bipartisan DAIRY PRIDE Act in the House of Representatives, which would require the FDA to enforce dairy standards of identity and issue guidance within 90 days to address what sponsors call mislabeled plant-based products. The National Milk Producers Federation backed the legislation, arguing that the FDA's failure to enforce existing labeling rules allows nutritionally inferior plant-based products to trade on consumer expectations associated with dairy terms such as "milk," "cheese," and "yogurt." (nmpf.org)
Kennedy signals heightened FDA skepticism toward cell-cultured meat. During a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota that he shares and even amplifies concerns about cell-cultured meat products entering the U.S. food supply, pledging rigorous FDA oversight. Rounds raised issues about products combining lab-grown animal cells with plant-based ingredients being marketed as traditional meat, while Kennedy said such products would face significant scrutiny to demonstrate safety. The exchange comes months after South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden vetoed a bill that would have banned cell-cultured meat sales in the state. (yahoo.com)
Microbial proteins make up a large share of fermented food content, NC State study finds. Researchers at North Carolina State University used metaproteomics to analyze 17 fermented and three non-fermented foods, finding that microbial proteins contribute up to 11% of total protein content and as much as 60% of all identified proteins in fermented products. In Brie cheese, for example, 65% of the 1,573 detected proteins were microbial in origin, a pattern observed across most dairy products studied. The findings, published in Food & Function, suggest that microbial proteins could influence gut physiology and immune response, opening new avenues for engineering fermented foods with targeted health benefits. (news.ncsu.edu)
Australia and New Zealand approve heart health claim for soy protein. Food Standards Australia New Zealand accepted a general-level heart health claim for isolated soy protein in March 2026, permitting on-pack messaging for foods formulated to deliver 20–25 g of the ingredient daily. IFF, whose Solae Supro portfolio has been used in beverages, nutrition bars, and dairy alternatives for decades, says the approval—backed by more than 80 randomized controlled trials linking soy protein to lower LDL cholesterol—will accelerate product development in a region where dyslipidemia affects roughly 60% of Australian adults. The regulatory recognition, already granted in 11 other countries including the United States, Canada, and Japan, is expected to drive innovation in ready-to-drink functional beverages, protein bars, fortified plant-based milks, and blended dairy-plant products. (nutraingredients.com)