US FDA Moves to Repeal 52 Outdated Food Standards of Identity

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently announced the repeal or proposed repeal of 52 food Standards of Identity (SOIs). According to the FDA, many of these standards are outdated and no longer relevant. Their removal is intended to enhance regulatory efficiency, foster food innovation, and better meet evolving consumer needs.

Established in 1939, SOIs define the composition, ingredients, and production methods of specific food products to ensure they align with consumer expectations and to promote honest and fair dealing in the marketplace. To date, the FDA has issued more than 250 such standards, covering a wide array of foods, including milk, milk chocolate, bread, peanut butter, and ketchup. However, advances in food science, agricultural practices, and manufacturing technologies—along with strengthened consumer protection mechanisms—have rendered many of these rigid, formula-based standards obsolete.

This effort marks the initial phase of a broader FDA initiative to comprehensively evaluate existing SOIs and eliminate overly prescriptive standards that no longer serve a practical purpose in today's food landscape. Key actions include:

Issuing a Direct Final Rule to eliminate 11 SOIs for canned fruits and vegetables, including 7 standards for artificially sweetened products containing saccharin or sodium saccharin, which are no longer sold in the U.S.;

Proposing two additional rules to repeal 18 dairy-related SOIs (covering certain types of milk, cream, cheese, and frozen desserts) and 23 standards for other food categories (such as baked goods, pasta, canned juices, seafood, and condiments);

The FDA noted that modern consumer protection measures—such as ingredient safety assessments, clear labeling, packaging regulations, current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs), and nutrition labeling—now provide more effective safeguards, rendering many traditional SOIs redundant.

This deregulatory move aligns with a broader policy commitment made by U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has pledged to implement a “10-to-1” regulatory reduction policy: for every new regulation enacted, at least ten existing ones must be repealed. HHS emphasized that this principle will extend beyond the food sector to all areas of public health and medical regulation, with the goal of delivering more efficient, pragmatic service to the American public.

In May 2025, HHS and the FDA jointly launched a Request for Information (RFI) to gather input from stakeholders across society and continue efforts to streamline or eliminate unnecessary or duplicative regulatory requirements.

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