Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #13

Expana’s global team of specialist reporters has been tracking every twist and turn in the fluid tariff situation.

Click to read "Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #13."

This report allows the Expana community to see where key commodity markets stand as of this past week... Click the above PDF report, or keep scrolling to read in plain text...

Sugar On the Chopping Block for SNAP Program Following MAHA Commission

On May 22, US President Donald Trump spoke alongside Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and others during a MAHA [Make America Healthy Again] Commission Event. 

“We’re on track to sign multiples of SNAP waivers to get junk food and sugary drinks out of our food stamp system,” said the USDA’s Rollins. Rollins signed the first waivers to amend the statutory definition of food for purchase for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP) in Nebraska, Indiana, and Iowa, she said during her speech...

Nestlé Recalls Frozen Meals Over Choking Risk

The FDA has announced that Nestlé USA is recalling certain Lean Cuisine and STOUFFER'S frozen meals following customer complaints about the presence of a wood-like material. One potential choking incident has been reported.

Nestlé is actively investigating the issue, which affects a limited quantity of products from the following lines:

• Lean Cuisine® Butternut Squash Ravioli
  Batch Numbers: 4261595912 (Best By OCT2025), 4283595912 (Best By NOV2025), 4356595912 (Best By JAN2026), 5018595912 (Best By FEB2026), and 5038595912 (Due Date MAR2026)
• Lean Cuisine® Spinach Artichoke Ravioli...

National Chicken Council Offers Measure to Help Alleviate Egg Shortage in Wake of Bird Flu

Petition to FDA would divert 400 million eggs to market

In light of the pressure the current highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI or “bird flu”) outbreak is putting on the nation’s egg supply, and resulting record egg prices, the National Chicken Council (NCC) today petitioned the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to reverse or modify an Obama-era regulation that forces the broiler industry (chickens raised for meat) to discard perfectly nutritious and safe eggs.

“With government risk assessments affirming their safety...

GAO Submits FDA Recommendations to Congress for Increased Inspection Efforts

On January 8, 2025, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its Q&A report to Congress, titled “Food Safety: FDA Should Strengthen Inspection Efforts to Protect the U.S. Food Supply.”

FDA inspections fail to meet mandated annual targets

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for ensuring the safety of nearly 80% of the nation’s food supply including fruits, vegetables, processed foods, and most seafood.

Since 2007, the FDA has been on the GAO's High-Risk List, which highlights 37 areas across the federal government that are...

Orgain Issues Voluntary Allergy Alert on Possible Undeclared Peanut Residue in a Single Batch 

OrgainExternal Link Disclaimer of Irvine, California is voluntarily recalling a single batch of its 30g Protein Organic Plant Based Powder - Chocolate 2.01lb because it may contain undeclared peanut residue. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts may run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product.

The recall is limited to a single batch of 30g Protein Organic Plant Based Powder - Chocolate 2.01lb and was distributed nationwide both in retail stores and online...

E. coli Linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders Kills 1 in Multi-State Outbreak

An investigation is underway following an outbreak of E. coli linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounder hamburgers that killed one individual in Colorado and sickened dozens of others across multiple states. 

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration identified the strain as O157:H7, a dangerous bacteria that can cause severe illness or death. The primary sources of outbreaks are raw or undercooked ground meat, raw milk and cheeses, and contaminated vegetables...

FDA Approves Inneo as New Food Processing Aid Against Listeria

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have granted GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status to INNEO, a food processing aid made to eliminate Listeria monocytogenes. This innovative technology, developed by Canadian biotechnology company Innodal, uses antimicrobial peptides to eliminate the harmful pathogen. With this approval, Innodal is set to launch industrial-scale projects with U.S. processing companies, marking its entry into the U.S. market.

INNEO, Innodal's flagship product, has been successfully commercialized in Canada for four years and will now be available...

Philippines Plans to Soon Roll Out ASF Vaccine

The office of the President of the Philippines announced that the Department of Agriculture (DA) would roll out an African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccine by September. The initial rollout will be for government use, with commercial use to follow.

According to the DA, the commercial trial for the vaccine is expected to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this month, allowing the DA to start mass trials. However, the UK government noted in an ASF outbreak in Asia assessment report that the department...