[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8432 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8432
To provide the Food and Drug Administration needed authorities to carry
out its regulatory mission with respect to human foods, to provide
additional resources and authorities with respect to human foods
research, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 22, 2026
Ms. DeGette introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide the Food and Drug Administration needed authorities to carry
out its regulatory mission with respect to human foods, to provide
additional resources and authorities with respect to human foods
research, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. TABLE OF CONTENTS.
The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Table of contents.
Sec. 2. Sense of Congress on funding food sector innovation projects.
Sec. 3. Advisory Committee on Human Foods.
Sec. 4. Critical research grant program.
Sec. 5. HFP and CDER center of excellence.
Sec. 6. Paperwork Reduction Act exemption for FDA research.
Sec. 7. Recordkeeping requirements for processed food recipes.
Sec. 8. Public-private partnership for information sharing and chemical
limits in foods.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON FUNDING FOOD SECTOR INNOVATION PROJECTS.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that an
account, to be known as the ``Human Foods Innovation Account'', should
be established for purposes of the Food and Drug Administration
carrying out the activities described in subsection (b).
(b) FDA Activities.--The activities described in this subsection
are--
(1) the critical research grants under section 4;
(2) the establishment and maintenance of the center of
excellence described in section 5;
(3) the public-private partnership under section 8;
(4) the development of modernized standards for human
foods, including foods for infants and young children;
(5) the development of modernized standards for enhanced
human food safety and supply chain continuity;
(6) advances in human foods nutrition innovation;
(7) the development of strengthened dietary supplement
authorities;
(8) research relating to human foods biotechnology;
(9) the development of modernized regulatory tools for
chemicals in human foods;
(10) modernizing risk assessment and enhanced risk-informed
decision making with respect to human foods;
(11) enhanced technical capacity using hiring authority
provided by the Food and Drug Omnibus Reform Act of 2022 (title
III of division FF of Public Law 117-328); and
(12) such projects enabling innovation and technological
advancements in the human foods sector and a fuller
understanding of nutrition, as the Commissioner determines
appropriate.
SEC. 3. ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN FOODS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in
this section referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall establish and
maintain a permanent advisory committee to be known as the ``Advisory
Committee on Human Foods'' (referred to in this section as the
``Committee'').
(b) Duties of Committee.--The Committee shall advise the
Commissioner on issues related to food science, nutrition, and food
safety.
(c) Members.--The Secretary shall ensure that the Committee is
composed of experts on nutrition, experts on food safety, and
representatives of consumer, producer, and health professional
organizations.
SEC. 4. CRITICAL RESEARCH GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Critical Research Grants.--The Secretary of Health and Human
Services (in this section referred to as the ``Secretary''), acting
through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs and the Director of the
National Institutes of Health, shall award grants, on a competitive
basis, to eligible entities to promote research in critical areas,
including--
(1) food biotechnology;
(2) nutrition initiatives to promote greater access to
healthier foods and information about foods;
(3) infant and maternal nutrition;
(4) health impacts of ultra-processed foods;
(5) safety and reliability of specialty foods such as
infant formula;
(6) health impacts of dietary supplements; and
(7) public understanding of the risks and benefits of
ultra-processed foods, dietary supplements, and other nutrition
sources.
(b) Collaboration.--In awarding grants under subsection (a), the
Secretary shall prioritize projects that foster collaboration among a
broad range of partners.
(c) Applications.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this
section, an entity shall submit to the Secretary an application at such
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary
may determine appropriate.
(d) Eligible Entity Defined.--In this section, the term ``eligible
entity'' means a public or private nonprofit organization with
recognized capacity and expertise in one or more of the areas described
in subsection (a).
SEC. 5. HFP AND CDER CENTER OF EXCELLENCE.
(a) In General.--The Commissioner of Food and Drugs, acting through
the Deputy Commissioner of Human Foods and the Director of the Center
for Drug Evaluation and Research, shall establish and maintain a center
of excellence to improve nutrition science and how nutrition relates to
medicine.
(b) Activities of Center of Excellence.--The center of excellence
established under subsection (a) shall--
(1) coordinate the programs and activities of the Food and
Drug Administration relating to areas of convergence between
the Human Foods Program and the programs and activities of the
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, including related to--
(A) the rise of medical drug use in weight loss;
(B) medications to mitigate the effects of allergic
reactions from exposure to certain foods;
(C) the role of nutrition in maintaining overall
health along or in conjunction with pharmaceutical
interventions, physical activity, and other activities;
and
(D) programs that support healthy eating through
the medical system, such as produce prescription
programs; and
(2) act as a platform for agency-wide collaboration and
communication to drive research and innovation in the food-as-
medicine field.
SEC. 6. PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT EXEMPTION FOR FDA RESEARCH.
Chapter X of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C.
391 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 1015. PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT EXEMPTION.
``Subchapter I of chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code,
(commonly referred to as the `Paperwork Reduction Act') shall not apply
to the voluntary collection of information during the conduct of
research by the Food and Drug Administration.''.
SEC. 7. RECORDKEEPING REQUIREMENTS FOR PROCESSED FOOD RECIPES.
Section 414(a) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21
U.S.C. 350c(a)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (5);
(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
``(3) Processed food recipes.--With respect to an article
of food that is a processed food, each person (excluding farms
and restaurants) who manufactures, processes, packs,
distributes, receives, holds, or imports such article shall, at
the request of an officer or employee duly designated by the
Secretary, permit such officer or employee, upon presentation
of appropriate credentials and a written notice to such person,
at reasonable times and within reasonable limits and in a
reasonable manner, to have access to and copy all records
relating to the recipe and contents of such article,
including--
``(A) the labeled and nonlabeled ingredients;
``(B) the amounts of each ingredient; and
``(C) listings of all relevant authorizations by
product.
``(4) Nonlabeled ingredients.--
``(A) In general.--With respect to an article of
food that is a processed food that includes contents
which are not declared on the label, the manufacturer
(excluding farms and restaurants) of such article shall
submit to the Commissioner the contents, including
flavors, colors, spices, and incidental additives, of
such article.
``(B) Disclosure.--The Commissioner shall publish
on a website a list of articles described in
subparagraph (A) and their contents.''; and
(3) in paragraph (5), as so redesignated, by striking ``The
requirement under paragraphs (1) and (2) applies'' and
inserting ``The requirements under paragraphs (1) through (3)
apply''.
SEC. 8. PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP FOR INFORMATION SHARING AND CHEMICAL
LIMITS IN FOODS.
(a) In General.--The Commissioner of Food and Drugs (in this
section referred to as the ``Commissioner'') shall enter into a
partnership with 1 or more appropriate nongovernmental entities--
(1) to facilitate information sharing across industry,
academia, and consumer groups about the composition, use, and
long-term impacts of food packaging materials; and
(2) to recommend to the Commissioner appropriate limits for
chemicals in food and food-contact substances.
(b) Reports to Congress.--Not later than 18 months after the date
on which the Commissioner enters into the partnership described in
subsection (a), and annually thereafter, the Commissioner shall submit
to Congress a report describing the work completed by the partnership
and any ongoing work of the partnership.
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