FDA Nominee: RFK Food Agenda Needs More Resources

President Trump's nominee to lead the FDA's food division said the agency needs additional resources to carry out Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s food policy priorities.

Heidi Overton, testifying on her nomination, said the agency requires more support to enact mandatory GRAS notifications, according to her remarks. The GRAS — generally recognized as safe — pathway currently allows food manufacturers to self-certify ingredients without a formal FDA review, and shifting that system to mandatory notifications would demand staffing and funding the agency does not now have in place.

Overton also signaled a preference for federal action on ingredient regulation once enough states have moved on their own. Her position points to a wait-and-see posture on the wave of state-level ingredient bans that has created a patchwork of compliance requirements for food marketers and retailers.

For brands selling in multiple states, the comments suggest a possible eventual single federal standard on ingredients — but only after state activity reaches a sufficient threshold. Overton's confirmation would place her at the center of how, and how quickly, the FDA operationalizes Kennedy's food agenda.