Farm Bill 2.0 Expired Oct. 1 — Lobbyist Puts Lame-Duck Odds at 50 Percent

Farm Bill 2.0 expired on Oct. 1, 2026, and most lobbying and consulting insiders in Washington give the package slim to no chance of resurrection during the lame-duck session of Congress. One prominent voice disagrees. Randy Russell of the Russell Group, a top farm-policy lobbyist, puts the odds of a reworked bill moving at 50 percent — predicting it will clear the Senate agriculture committee, get patched together by staff, and reach the floor as a "must-pass" omnibus spending measure.

The stakes are structural, not procedural. The Farm Bill is the package of laws and amendments that authorizes, reauthorizes and updates the country's food, agriculture and rural policies, and Congress has renewed it every five years for almost a century. When it lapses, the programs it anchors operate on borrowed time.

What does the political shift change for food policy?

Plenty, if the midterms are any guide. New Democratic majorities take control of both the House and Senate next year, which will change the key players and the agenda across a range of food and farm policies. At the state level, newly elected Democratic governors — Deb Haaland in New Mexico and Hannah Pingree in Maine — are likely to shape food-related policy from their offices. For restaurant operators and food suppliers, the practical question is which nutrition, subsidy and food-safety priorities move with the new committees, and how fast.

What happened with ByHeart and the botulism outbreak?

Infant formula maker ByHeart has "discontinued" manufacturing its products after becoming entangled in an outbreak of infant botulism that sickened 48 babies across 17 states. The company's founders started a new venture, MeridianMade, earlier this year, and in late October it announced it would buy the infant formula business of Dublin-based Perrigo — a supplier whose products are sold under retailers' own store-brand labels.

The deal is now drawing political heat. Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro raised concerns about the transaction this week and vowed continued investigation of the botulism outbreak. For grocery and retail foodservice operators who stock store-brand formula, the scrutiny could complicate a supply chain already shaken by the outbreak.

How did a degreaser end up in Chili's margaritas?

At a Chili's Bar & Grill location in North Carolina, an unlabeled container of granular degreasing chemical was used at the margarita station — in place of the salt that belongs on the glass rims. Three customers and two employees reported chemical burns in and around their mouths after drinking the beverages.

A local public health official didn't mince words: "This incident highlights the importance of proper chemical labeling, storage, and handling in food service establishments... to prevent chemical contamination and protect public health." The failure mode here is operational, not culinary: an unlabeled container at a drink station turned a routine rimming step into a hazmat event. Multi-unit operators will recognize the fix — labeling discipline and chemical storage separated from food-contact supplies.

Is the sprout-linked Salmonella outbreak over?

Yes. The CDC and FDA have declared an end to a Salmonella outbreak tied to broccoli sprouts and microgreens that caused at least 34 illnesses across six states. The source traced back to a contaminated seed lot imported from New Zealand. Evergreen Fresh Sprouts recalled the affected sprouts, and other companies recalled sprouting seeds. Notably, the federal agencies declined to name the seed supplier — a gap that leaves produce buyers without a known counterparty to screen.

What's happening with raw milk in the UK?

The United Kingdom's Animal and Plant Health Agency investigated two outbreaks linked to raw milk during the second quarter of 2026. One involved Cryptosporidium; Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) drove the other. Neither APHA nor the UK Health Security Agency has disclosed how many people fell ill. The twin outbreaks keep pressure on raw-milk sales at a moment when several markets are loosening access to unpasteurized dairy.

What happens next

Watch the lame-duck calendar. If Russell's 50-percent call holds and a reworked Farm Bill 2.0 rides an omnibus spending measure to the floor before year-end, food and agriculture programs get a fresh five-year footing; if not, the new Democratic majorities inherit the rewrite in 2027.