By Staff Report
Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis’ food testing program could stall as quickly as it began.
The House and Senate released their budget proposals last week, and neither chamber included the full funding requested by Gov. Ron DeSantis for the initiative within the Florida Department of Health.
The governor’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes $5 million for the program. The Senate allocated $2 million, while the House included no funding.
“I don’t know why the state needs to create its own version of the (federal Food and Drug Administration),” Rep. Alex Andrade, R-Pensacola, told the News Service of Florida. “I think it’s great what the First Lady is doing, but no state employee has come and talked to me about why this is necessary.”
Andrade, chairman of the House Health Care Budget Subcommittee, has been a vocal critic of the governor over the Hope Florida controversy.
State leaders were accused of directing $10 million in taxpayer funds to political committees opposing 2024 ballot amendments that would have legalized recreational marijuana and enshrined abortion rights in the Florida Constitution. The Hope Florida Foundation, a charity linked to Casey DeSantis, was used to transfer the money to political committees.
The governor’s office declined to comment.
Casey DeSantis has praised U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, modeling her initiative after his efforts. Like Kennedy, she has been critical of vaccine mandates.
This year, she has made numerous appearances promoting the Healthy Florida First initiative, which tests food for toxins and heavy metals. Press conferences have highlighted test results involving infant formula, candy and bread.
Test results are available at exposingfoodtoxins.org.
“Florida will continue to fight on behalf of families all across this great state and do what is within its authority to test, verify, retest, hold people accountable and bring transparency where families deserve answers,” Casey DeSantis said during a press conference announcing test results for infant formula.
According to the state, heavy metals were detected in 16 of 24 infant formulas tested, 28 of 46 candy products and pesticides in six of eight bread brands.
The findings have drawn criticism from food industry companies and advocacy groups, which have questioned the state’s testing methodology.
Transparency Florida reports the testing program has cost about $44,000 since it began in late 2025.
Medallion Laboratories, founded as General Mills’ in-house laboratory, was paid $23,400, and New Jersey Dairy Laboratories received about $15,800.
Ali Moreland