- On May 9, 2025, FDA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced the launch of the new Nutrition Regulatory Science Program, a joint initiative to research diet-related chronic diseases and inform food and nutrition policy.
- FDA and NIH touted the program as “a key element in fulfilling U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s commitment to Make America Healthy Again.” The Agencies stated that the program will allow them to “invest in gold standard science, prioritize a better understanding of the root causes to end the diet-related chronic disease crisis and safeguard the health of America’s children.”
- The program is intended to answer (arguably leading) questions related to diet-related chronic disease such as:
- How and why can ultra-processed foods harm people’s health?
- How might certain food additives affect metabolic health and possibly contribute to chronic disease?
- What is the role of maternal and infant dietary exposures on health outcomes across the lifespan, including autoimmune diseases?
- FDA will contribute regulatory science expertise to the program, while NIH will provide infrastructure for scientific research, with experts in chronic disease, nutrition, toxicology, risk analysis, behavioral science, and chemistry contributing to the program. The Agencies said that they will work together to develop a research agenda and ensure that all research is fair, independent, and free of conflicts of interest.
- Keller and Heckman will continue to report on developments related to the new program.
