In recent months, significant workforce reductions within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have raised concerns about the strength of the nation's food safety infrastructure. With over 15,000 USDA employees and approximately 20,000 HHS staff members no longer in place, critical programs and inspections have been disrupted. As federal oversight diminishes, the responsibility for ensuring food safety increasingly falls on manufacturers and distributors, who must uphold rigorous third-party certifications to maintain trust and quality across the supply chain.

If you’ve been paying attention to food trends lately, you’ve probably noticed something: fermentation is everywhere. From crunchy krauts to spicy kimchis and fizzy kombuchas, these age-old preservation methods are popping up on menus, at farmers markets, and in home kitchens across the country.

Let’s stop pretending sustainability is a marketing badge. If we are serious about the future of this planet and our food system, we need to stop tweaking broken models and start redesigning how we grow, eat, and invest in food. Sustainability is not a checklist. It is a shift in mindset, incentives, and who gets a seat at the table.

We know that providing infants and toddlers with highly nutritious vitamins and minerals at an early age is critical to their longer-term, healthful development. Yet despite all our advances, access, and abundance, the US ranks amongst the lowest in global health rankings.

In 2025, sustainability is no longer a bonus feature — it’s the baseline. Yet somehow, many of the world’s largest food conglomerates — Nestlé, Unilever, PepsiCo, and others — are still acting like it’s 1997.