Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 4/5/19

The FDA commissioner is leaving the food industry with a stark warning: Fight efforts to reduce sodium at your own risk.

In an interview with Pro Ag's Helena Bottemiller Evich, Gottlieb said guidance on voluntary short-term sodium reduction targets "is now in final clearance inside FDA." Expect them to be released in the next month to six weeks, he said.

"I don't think people should be at all surprised about where the FDA landed on this," he said. "If the packaged food industry wants to start a lobbying campaign against voluntary guidelines, I think they risk ending up with multiple regimes in different states and municipalities."

Looking back, Gottlieb said tobacco and food policy took up the bulk of his time but noted he felt he was never asked enough about nutrition policies by the media. In two years as commissioner, he advanced a number of Obama-era nutrition priorities, including menu labeling and the Nutrition Facts update.

Navigating dairy labeling: Gottlieb said he doesn't think the rise of plant-based beverages is what's sapping U.S. dairy consumption. But as FDA looks to update standards of identity for dairy, he said it's important consumers understand the nutritional value of what they're buying.

The agency may be looking at a middle-ground approach: Rather than reserving the term "milk" for traditional dairy products, FDA hypothetically could require plant-based substitutes to be fortified to meet certain nutritional standards, Gottlieb suggested.

What's next? Besides returning to the American Enterprise Institute, Gottlieb plans to return to some of his agricultural hobbies, including raising chickens, gardening and making maple syrup. The prolific tweeter also said he'll "absolutely" continue weighing in on nutrition and food safety issues.