Rep. Luna to FDA: “Stop Using COVID as an Excuse to Hide What’s in Our Food!”

Contact: Edie Guy, Edie.Guy@mail.house.gov

This morning, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling for the agency to remove a “temporary” COVID-era policy that eased food labeling requirements during the pandemic, putting Americans at risk of buying incorrectly labeled foods at the grocery store. 

“The pandemic has long been over, and the FDA needs to stop using it as an excuse to hide what’s in our food,” Rep. Luna stated. “The FDA has a very clear responsibility to inform Americans about the safety of our food, and this neglectful inaction puts many families at risk. I am especially concerned about the mislabeling of products containing toxic food dyes and additives linked to health problems.”

The FDA’s guidance provides flexibilities for food labeling requirements, allowing manufacturers to change or substitute ingredients in products without updating their labels. This policy misleads and endangers American consumers, who cannot be sure whether or not the groceries they buy contain certain harmful ingredients, like Red 40 and high-fructose corn syrup. 

“American families should know if these harmful ingredients are in their groceries. It’s high time the FDA stops misleading the public with ancient COVID rules and do its job!”

You can read more and view a copy of Rep. Luna’s letter here.