According to POLITICO, the House Appropriations Committee is set to unveil its draft fiscal 2020 Agriculture-FDA measure this morning. A subcommittee markup is set for 10 a.m. on Thursday. The measure is expected to include $24.3 billion in discretionary funds, a $1.3 billion (or 6 percent) increase from current levels.
Health advocates and the Sustainable Food Policy Alliance have asked appropriators to make sure there’s no language in the appropriations bill that could block FDA from advancing sodium reduction targets. They also want funding to support sodium cuts in school meals, among other things.
The FDA has said it’s preparing to release sodium reduction targets in the coming months, but the effort has sparked late-game lobbying from industry groups. The agency is now expected to finalize only short-term reduction targets, but the final details are unknown.
One should also keep an eye out for anything on hemp, CBD, cell-based meat and other trendy topics lawmakers might want to put their stamp on.
