48th Annual National Food Policy Conference
Tuesday, March 11th, 2025
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9:30 am
Plenary Session: The New Administration’s Food Policy Priorities
Under the first Trump Administration, federal regulators eased restrictions on the use of pesticides and herbicides, relaxed nutrition standards for school meals, gave biotech companies more flexibility to put genetically engineered foods on the market, and authorized meat processors to operate at faster line speeds, among other market-friendly policies. Will the second Trump Administration continue where it left off, or will it forge new alliances in a bid to “Make America Healthy Again”? What kinds of policy shifts from the status quo can we expect to see? What role will Congress play?
Moderator
Helena Bottemiller Evich, FoodFix
Panelists
Beth Johnson, Food Directions LLC
Brian Ronholm, Consumer Reports
Jessica Schulken, The Russell Group
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11:00 am
Concurrent Session 1: What’s Processing Got To Do With It?
Controversy surrounds the concept of ultra-processed foods, with critics arguing that the term lacks precision and groups together foods with little in common. Yet researchers continue to investigate how food processing affects nutrition, and to translate that research into dietary advice. What can policymakers and the public take away from the current science on ultra-processed foods? How can future research illuminate the connections between food processing and health?
Moderator
Gabby Headrick, George Washington University
Panelists
Jennifer Cadenhead, Columbia University
Melissa Halas, The Non-UPF Program
Kevin Hall, National Institutes of Health
Aviva Musicus, Center for Science in the Public Interest
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Concurrent Session 2: Managing Zoonotic Disease Risk
Zoonotic diseases, caused by pathogens endemic to wildlife or livestock that spill over into human populations, are a major public health threat. In 2009, the Institute of Medicine estimated that zoonotic diseases accounted for more than 65% of emerging infectious disease events in the past six decades. With the advent of new genetic analysis tools, researchers have discovered new connections between food production and illness, such as between E. coli in meat products and hundreds of thousands of anti-biotic resistant urinary tract infections in the U.S. each year. Managing zoonotic disease risk represents an increasingly significant cost to food producers, with the poultry industry alone incurring tens of billions dollars in direct costs. Who should bear the costs of protecting the public from zoonotic disease? How should policymakers respond to zoonotic disease risk? What practices deserve closer scrutiny?
Moderator
Kenny Torrella, Vox
Panelists
Meghan Davis, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Miquela Hanselman, National Milk Producers Federation
Cameron Harsh, World Animal Protection US
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11:00 am
Concurrent Session 3: Food and Trade (wars)
The U.S. imports nearly a fifth of its food supply, including an estimated one third of vegetables and two-thirds of fruits. At the same time, U.S. companies export tens of billions of dollars’ worth of corn, soy, beef, pork, and other agricultural commodities. How will tariff hikes affect agricultural policy, food prices, and global hunger? What lessons can be learned from the first Trump Administration’s trade disputes with China and other major trading partners, and what can we expect this time around?
Moderator
Lisa Held, Civil Eats
Panelists
Karen Hansen-Kuhn, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Precious Tshabalala, Union of Concerned Scientists
Lori Wallach, Rethink Trade -
12:45 pm
Keynote Address – Food is Medicine: Promise and Pitfalls in a Changing Landscape
Speaker
Dariush Mozaffarian, Tufts University
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1:15 pm
Keynote Address
Speaker
Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, US House of Representatives -
1:45 pm
Concurrent Session 1: The Case for Universal Free School Meals
Americans got a taste of universal free school meals during the pandemic, and several states have opted to continue with the policy following the federal policy’s reversion to the status quo. Advocates claim that the policy boosts access to school meals, decreases administrative burden for school administrators and nutrition staff, and reduces stigma for students from families with low incomes. Opponents claim it is too expensive and fosters government dependency. What is the experience of states that have launched universal free school meals programs? How should these experiences inform federal school meal policy?
Moderator
Kelly Horton, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Panelists
Jessica Gould, Littleton Public Schools
Nicole Melia, School Nutrition Association of Pennsylvania
Lisa Quigley, Tusk Philanthropies
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Concurrent Session 2: Overcoming Conflicts (of interest)
Amidst growing skepticism with experts and institutions generally, nutrition and food policy research has come under increasing scrutiny. Critics have cited research funding and consulting fees for nutritionists affiliated with the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, the National Institutes of Health, major universities, and other public health authorities, as evidence of bias. Policymakers in the United Kingdom have recommended that food policy discussions “exclude food businesses” that produce less healthy products. What are the controls in place to manage conflicts of interest, and where do they fall short? What can policymakers do to restore trust in nutrition research and dietary guidance?
Moderator
Sasha Chavkin, The Examination (Download Presentation)
Panelists
Michael Jacobson, National Food Museum
Jerold Mande, Nourish Science (Download Presentation)
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Concurrent Session 3: How to Lobby Me
Back by popular demand! Lobbying can feel daunting, but despite the noisy headlines about congressional chaos and dysfunction, lawmakers continue to govern, and advocacy on food policy can make a difference. In this session, congressional staffers will talk about what is most effective in persuading their bosses, and how you can refine your lobbying strategy to best succeed.
Moderator
Roberta Wagner, International Dairy Foods Association
Panelists
Thomas Eagan, Senator Bernie Sanders
John Myron, Representative Rosa DeLauro
Ian Prince, House Committee on Education and the Workforce
Katherine Thomas, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry
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3:30 pm
Plenary Session: Food and Healthcare Policy Collaboration to Transform the Food System and Build a Healthier Future
The U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other industrialized nation, yet life expectancy continues to decline, with much of our chronic disease burden driven by diet-related diseases. This session will examine the potential role of the healthcare system in a shifting regulatory and public health landscape, from the provision of clinical care, including the GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy and “Food is Medicine” initiatives, to product regulation, including food ingredients and dietary supplements.
Moderator
Jane Black, Food Journalist
Panelists
Peter Lurie, Center for Science in the Public Interest
Dariush Mozaffarian, Tufts University
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4:15 pm
Plenary Session: New Frontiers of Federal Food Assistance Programs
Will the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) ever allow recipients to purchase hot food, or exclude products like soda? How are shifts to online purchasing in programs like SNAP and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) playing out across the country? What future innovations are in store?
Moderator
Stacy Dean, GWU Global Food Institute
Panelists
Salaam Bhatti, Food Research & Action Center
Nancy Dalton, Amazon
Nell Menefee-Libey, National WIC Association
Jennie Norka, American Frozen Food Institute
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
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9:00 am
Concurrent Session 1: Harnessing the Power of Artificial Intelligence for Consumers
So far, the food industry’s investments in artificial intelligence have focused on using consumer data to refine marketing tactics. But tools like rapid pathogen detection, food environment mapping, and predictive analytics suggest further potential for A.I. to reduce food safety risk, boost nutrition, and cope with environmental stressors. Federal regulatory agencies are using A.I. for projects ranging from post-market surveillance of food ingredient safety, to measuring soil moisture. How can public policy help to ensure that artificial intelligence helps to improve diets, and not just companies’ bottom lines?
Moderator
Dominique Carter, Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC
Panelists
Sara Eckhouse, FoodShot Global
Katharina Kopp, Center for Digital Democracy
Ben Winters, Consumer Federation of America
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Concurrent Session 2: The Long Road to FOP Labeling
Dozens of countries use front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labels to draw attention to foods with high sugar, fat and sodium content. After decades of anticipation, FDA is on the cusp of mandating an FOP label for U.S. producers, but the proposal is controversial. How serious are challenges to the rule’s legality? What’s the evidence that FOP labeling rules make a difference to public health?
Moderator
Jessica Wasserman, WassermanRowe LLC
Panelists
Mara Burr, Consumer Brands Association
Emily Holubowich, American Heart Association
Vanessa García Larsen, Pan American Health Organization
Sarah Sorscher, Center for Science in the Public Interest
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Concurrent Session 3: Food and Immigration
Immigration policy significantly influenced the 2024 elections, with 55% of voters indicating that they wanted immigration reduced and 20% of Trump voters citing it as their most important issue. Immigrants, many of them undocumented, play an outsized role in the food system. For example, USDA estimates that half of the 2.4 million agricultural farm workers are undocumented immigrants. How will policies to restrict new arrivals and deport those already here affect food prices, worker welfare, food industry innovation, competition, and other facets of the food system?
Moderator
Garrett Downs, E&E News
Panelists
Roger Cryan, American Farm Bureau Federation
Valerie Lacarte, Migration Policy Institute
Haley Nicholson, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union 
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10:45 am
Plenary Session: The Evolving Role of Dietitians
- As concerns have grown over Americans’ growing waistlines, so too has the demand for dietitians’ advice. Dietitians are increasingly raising awareness about preventative strategies to avoid chronic diet-related diseases, helping to manage pharmaceutical weight-loss interventions, and becoming more involved in public policy. At the same time, they are attracting greater scrutiny for perceived conflicts of interest. How are dietitians shaping, and being shaped by, food policy? A panel of dietitians will discuss the contributions that the profession has to offer, navigating ethical challenges, and responding to emerging evidence in nutrition science.
Moderator
Krystal Register, FMI – The Food Industry Association
Panelists
Stephanie Goodwin, Danone
Alison Hard, National WIC Association
Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, International Food Information Council -
11:35 am
Plenary Session: The Future of Food Chemical Regulation
According to recent survey data, consumer concerns about chemicals in food are growing, with “ultra-processed” becoming the new buzz word. Champions for reform have pointed out that many popular American food brands are sold in countries abroad with different lists of ingredients that omit synthetic food dyes and other additives of concern. How do regulatory requirements for food ingredients in countries like Canada and the European Union differ from those in the U.S.? How do they affect the foods available to consumers? What is the food industry’s role in evaluating food additive safety?
Moderator
Mason Weeda, OFW Law
Panelists
Melanie Benesh, Environmental Working Group
Miriam Guggenheim, Covington & Burling LLP
Maricel Maffini, Independent Consultant
Tony Pavel, Keller and Heckman LLP 
