The 'F' in FDA Is Silent" — The State of Food Policy
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The 'F' in FDA Is Silent" — The State of Food Policy

  • Writer: Dr. Mindy Pelz
    Dr. Mindy Pelz
  • 30 minutes ago
  • 3 min read

EP339 with Helena Bottemiller-Evich



What's actually happening to our food right now?


Not the headlines, the social media posts, or the victory laps and the press conferences. What is actually, measurably, verifiably changing in the American food system in 2026?


That's the question Dr. Mindy brought to Helena Bottemiller Evich — an award winning food policy journalist who has covered Washington for over 15 years and has a rare and valuable skill: she separates what was said from what was done. Always.


Helena is the founder of the Food Fix newsletter, the host of the new American Dish podcast, and one of the most trusted voices in food policy reporting today. And in this conversation, she delivers the most honest, most clear-eyed breakdown of the current moment we've heard anywhere.


We have gotten the food that we asked the food system to give us – cheap, a lot of calories. We have gotten the expected result. But we have really high rates of chronic disease.

-Helena Bottemiller-Evich


Here's what you'll learn in this episode:


  • What MAHA has and hasn't actually done on food dyes — and why "banned" is not the right word

  • What the GRAS loophole is and what's actually happening (and not happening) to close it

  • The glyphosate and Bayer Supreme Court case — and why it's fracturing the MAHA movement from within

  • What RFK Jr. really said about glyphosate and where he actually stands

  • What changed and what didn't in the new dietary guidelines — including one genuinely historic first

  • Why school meals are so far behind — and what it actually costs to serve kids real food

  • How the Obama administration's food policy compares to what MAHA has done so far

  • Why ultra-processed foods may be genuinely addictive — and what the FDA's own leadership said

  • What consumers can actually do right now while policy catches up


This is not a partisan conversation. Helena presents all sides with the clarity of someone whose only agenda is accuracy. That is exactly what this moment needs.



Resources Mentioned



Resources from this episode:



Meet the Guest

Helena Bottemiller-Evich


Helena Bottemiller Evich is the founder and editor-in-chief of Food Fix, a popular food policy newsletter, and host of the new podcast American Dish.


Helena previously led coverage of food and agriculture issues at POLITICO for nearly a decade, winning numerous awards for her work, including a George Polk Award for a series on climate change and two James Beard Awards for features on nutrition and science. Helena is a sought-after speaker and commentator on food issues, appearing on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, BBC and NPR, among others. Her work is widely cited in the media and has also been published in the New York Times, the Columbia Journalism Review and NBC News.


Born and raised in Washington state, Helena attended Claremont McKenna College, where she studied government. She now lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and two kids.



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