WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Health and Human Services and its health agencies rolled out a rapid series of policy moves this week, spanning food labeling, global health ties, and biomedical research rules — a sweeping agenda officials framed as a major reset of federal public health priorities.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued a Request for Information seeking public input on labeling and preventing cross-contact of gluten in packaged foods, a step the agency said is aimed at improving ingredient transparency for people with celiac disease, gluten sensitivities, and certain food allergies.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the effort advances the administration’s Make America Healthy Again strategy by pressing for clearer disclosures on ingredients that can trigger adverse reactions. The FDA said it is seeking information related to “ingredients of interest,” including non-wheat gluten-containing grains such as rye and barley, and oats that may be affected by cross-contact with those grains.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said people managing gluten-related conditions are often forced to guess about food options, and he urged stakeholders to provide data and experiences to help shape policies that better protect consumers. The FDA said it has received a citizen petition on the issue and reviewed available reports, including those from a United Nations expert consultation, but found serious data gaps — including limited U.S. data on adverse reactions tied to the ingredients of interest.
The agency is seeking details that include how often rye or barley may not be disclosed on products, information on the severity and potency of immunoglobulin E-mediated food allergy to rye and barley, and concerns about gluten content in oats due to cross-contact. Comments can be filed electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov/ under Docket No. FDA-2023-P-3942, which the FDA said will be open for 60 days.
Kennedy also launched a nationwide “Take Back Your Health” tour in Pennsylvania, holding two events focused on the administration’s new Dietary Guidelines for Americans and what officials described as first-year public health accomplishments of President Donald Trump’s second term. At the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Kennedy appeared with more than a dozen Pennsylvania legislators, and later traveled to Kreider Farms in Manheim, Lancaster County, for a tour and a roundtable discussion with local farmers and rural residents.
Kennedy said HHS is implementing a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund, which he described as the largest federal investment in rural health in U.S. history.
On Wednesday, HHS and the U.S. Department of State announced the United States has completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, following the one-year notice period triggered by Trump’s January 20, 2025 executive order initiating the exit. Officials cited what they called WHO mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, failure to adopt reforms, and a lack of independence from political influence. HHS said U.S. engagement with WHO will be limited to actions needed to effectuate the withdrawal and to protect U.S. health and safety.
The week’s cascade of actions continued Friday, when HHS announced it ended the permitted use of human fetal tissue from elective abortion in agency-funded research. Kennedy said the directive applies consistent restrictions across grants, contracts, and programs administered throughout HHS. The National Institutes of Health said it is applying the policy across intramural research and NIH-supported extramural funding, and that the change supersedes prior NIH guidance as the department shifts toward alternative research models such as organoids, tissue chips, and computational biology.
Also Friday, the NIH announced a new Request for Information seeking public comment on emerging biotechnologies that could reduce or replace remaining reliance on human embryonic stem cells in research. Responses will be accepted through April 24, 2026. NIH said it is pausing review and approval of applications for new human embryonic stem cell lines to be added to its registry while the agency assesses where newer technologies may make such lines unnecessary, and where additional investments could strengthen validated alternative models.
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