Capital Update – For the Week Ending May 15, 2026

NPPC Weighed in on FDA Food Chemicals Assessments

What happened: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration took steps to ensure the safety of chemicals used in food production, finalizing a new post-market assessment program and commencing reassessments of two additives commonly used in a variety of food products.

NPPC achieved a critical change in one of the two guidance documents for the post-market assessment program.

Based on input from NPPC and other organizations, the FDA made modifications to its previously proposed method for ranking chemicals for assessment, including dropping a broad “other decisional criteria,” which would have allowed food chemical risk scores to be influenced by non-scientific factors. The “Post-Market Assessment Prioritization Tool” document helps identify priority food chemicals – based on certain criteria – for full scientific assessment by focusing on their potential risk to public health.

The second document – the “Enhanced Systematic Process for Post-Market Assessment of Chemicals in Food” – describes how the FDA will monitor and triage signals that provide information on hazards, use, or exposure related to food chemicals and how it will prioritize for assessment, evaluate, and manage those chemicals in the food supply.

Why it matters: The FDA’s assessment program provides consumers with confidence that the agency is ensuring chemicals in the U.S. food supply remain safe as new scientific information becomes available. The systematic, transparent approach helps protect public health and reinforces the rigorous safety standards that protect American consumers, according to the FDA.

NPPC’s take: NPPC’s input in the post market assessment ensured that it was based on science and will continue to protect food ingredients already approved and safe in pork products.

AGOA Countries Must Give U.S. Market Access, Says NPPC

What happened: NPPC is encouraging the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to work with Congress to ensure renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA, includes “tangible gains” for U.S. agriculture, including pork producers. AGOA gives sub-Saharan African nations duty-free access for their goods exported to the United States in exchange for “reasonable and equitable” treatment of U.S. imports. The trade law is up for renewal early next year.

In comments to USTR on modernizing AGOA, NPPC pointed out there are “clear and persistent market access barriers for U.S. exports across AGOA-eligible markets.” It urged the agency to incentivize beneficiary countries to only adopt sanitary and phytosanitary measures that are science- and risk-based and to eliminate other non-tariff barriers such as import licensing and facilities registration schemes.

Several AGOA beneficiary countries maintain restrictions to their markets for U.S. goods and services, including Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, with the latter two having de facto bans on U.S. pork imports.

NPPC’s take: While NPPC strongly supports AGOA, it historically has urged USTR to withhold or limit benefits to nations that maintain barriers to U.S. goods, including pork, and/or that fail to provide “reasonable and equitable” access to their markets for U.S. agriculture. It supports withholding AGOA benefits from Nigeria and South Africa until they allow full market access for U.S. pork.

Why it matters: The objectives of AGOA are to expand U.S. trade and investment with sub-Saharan Africa, stimulate economic growth in the region, and facilitate African nations’ integration into the global economy. Pork is an important source of protein in many AGOA countries, making them potentially significant markets for U.S. pork.

Agriculture Groups Want Input on Regulating Prediction Markets

What happened: NPPC joined 20 other agricultural organizations in urging the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to consider the effects that novel product offerings and emerging innovations on prediction market platforms may have on the trading of agricultural derivatives.

Producers use futures markets to manage risks and volatility in the commodity markets. While traditional futures markets involve trading on the underlying price of a commodity, with prediction markets, participants can take positions on the outcomes of future events. For example, binary options markets now allow participants to take a position on whether certain agricultural futures prices will settle above or below a particular price on a particular day.

Prediction contracts are being used to bet on almost anything and have been subject to abuse, which has prompted the CFTC to consider regulating them.

In comments submitted to the CFTC, NPPC and the other organizations raised concerns about the impacts new market structures could have on liquidity, contract settlement, price discovery, and the ability to hedge commercial risk efficiently and effectively in derivatives markets. They pointed out that prediction markets do not have the federal price and position limits that exist in commodity futures contracts.

“Agricultural interests seek markets that track their actual price exposure to underlying physical markets,” said the groups. “[Prediction] market participants are still evaluating what role binary options – (i.e., all or nothing bets) – might play in risk management, but there is concern given the potential for these markets to create new price signals or market noise that might impact traditional risk management markets.”

Why it matters: The CFTC oversees and helps safeguard the futures and derivatives markets used by pork producers and other agricultural sectors to manage risks. Proposed changes to market structures must have input from stakeholders to ensure the continued resilience of “critical” derivatives markets, the agriculture groups said.

May 29 Designated ‘Mental Health Awareness in Agriculture Day’

What happened: As they did in 2025, Sens. Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Michael Bennett (D-CO) have introduced a resolution designating May 29 as “Mental Health Awareness in Agriculture Day.” The occasion is meant to raise awareness about mental health in the agricultural industry and reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. The U.S. Senate unanimously approved the measure in 2025.

Fischer and Bennett want to highlight the challenges agricultural producers and workers face, including weather unpredictability, labor shortages, farm succession, and fluctuating commodity and market prices. Many agricultural states are experiencing a mental health crisis, with producers dealing with those stresses.

According to the National Rural Health Association, the rate of suicide among farmers is 3.5 times higher than the general population. The rate among farmworkers is 1.4 times higher than rates in all other occupations, according to the Mortality-Linked National Health Interview Survey.

NPPC’s take: NPPC, which thanked Sens. Fischer and Bennet for their leadership on the issue, said it is important to shine a light on the mental health challenges faced by farmers and ranchers and pledged to continue working with other agricultural organizations to break the stigma around mental health.

Resources: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network connects agricultural producers and workers to stress assistance programs. For a list of other mental health resources, click here and here.

World Pork Expo Set for June 3-4

What is happening: NPPC’s 2026 World Pork Expo is set for June 3-4 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. More than 20,000 visitors are expected to attend the event, which showcases innovations and new products and offers training and educational programs, as well as a lot of pork.

Among the features of the annual Expo:

• More than 700 booths featuring the latest equipment, technology, services, and solutions across 300,000 square feet of exhibit space.
• Young Pork Advocates Issues Meet, a one-of-a-kind event with emerging and future industry leaders sharing their perspectives on key pork production topics.
• Learning experiences and discussions designed to bring a practical perspective on the issues and innovations affecting pork production today.
• Networking opportunities and hospitality events, live entertainment, and complimentary pork lunches at The Big Grill.

Click here for more information, tickets, and media registration for the world’s largest pork industry trade show and exhibition.