Lobbying Group Defends Food Stamps for Sugary Drinks, Draws ‘Shameful’ Criticism

Americans for Food and Beverage Choice (AFBC) is a lobbying group “spearheaded” by the American Beverage Association, which has been criticized by individuals within the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement this last week. Calley Means, co-author of Good Energy and guest on The HighWire, called attention to the lobbying group and said the commentary of the group is “shameful.”

The American Beverage Association members include Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Keurig Dr. Pepper. AFBC was created in 2010 and the X page titled “Cart Choice” was created in 2013. One post states, “Your cart, your choice! Nobody should tell you or your family what you can eat or drink – those choices are up to you. Find out why it’s important to protect your food and drink choices.”

Means is a former consultant for large food companies, including Coca-Cola, from earlier in his career. In response to the Cart Choice X post, Means said, “A rigged market is when soda companies lobby to make America the only country in the world that subsidizes soda on a low-income nutrition program. Changing that is fixing corruption, not an attack on choice.”

In other posts, the lobbying group has defended low-calorie sweeteners like aspartame and food dyes on the basis of research studies and approval by the FDA. The post states that “all common beverage colors have been subjected to rigorous scientific review for safety and have been approved for consumption by multiple regulatory agencies and authoritative bodies worldwide.”

The post includes a chart with Blue Dye 1, Red Dye 40, Yellow Dye 5, and Yellow Dye 6. The post also states, “These ingredients are safe & approved for use in U.S. and Europe.” The European Union requires warning labels that state “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.” Since the implementation of the warning label, many companies have reformulated their products for the European market.

A 2016 study evaluated 810 products marketed to children in a North Carolina grocery store and found 43.2% contained artificial food dyes. The HighWire reported about the protest outside of Kellogg’s along with petition signatures calling for the company to remove artificial food dyes from U.S. products as it does for the European market.

Food dyes do not serve a flavor, texture, or nutritional benefit to the consumer. They can make vibrant colors to “identify flavors” and make the food look more appealing.

The FDA banned the use of Red Dye 3 in January, more than 30 years after the European Union banned the ingredient in food products, with the exception of maraschino cherries.

AFBC also states, “Research and data continue to show that beverages are not a primary cause of obesity and that low- and no-calorie options are safe.” The linked website does not provide any of that research data but instead focuses on the effectiveness of beverage taxes in reducing consumption.

The CDC states, “​​Frequently drinking sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney diseases, non-alcoholic liver disease, tooth decay and cavities, and gout, a type of arthritis.” The health agency also says that sugary beverages are the leading cause of added sugar consumption for people in the United States.

The CDC recommends that all individuals over two should limit added sugar intake to less than 10% of calorie intake. For the average adult, recommended 2,000 calories per day, 10% would equate to 200 calories. A 20 oz bottle of Coca-Cola contains 240 calories of added sugar, which surpasses the daily recommended amount with just one beverage.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins spoke with Benny Johnson about her work with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the MAHA Commission. She said the next meeting would involve discussions about food stamps being used to purchase sugary snacks and beverages.

“The fact that our taxpayers are funding the food stamp program to the numbers in the hundreds of billions, and yet people on food stamps, which are those with the least among us, those at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder are taking that and spending it, because they can, on Cokes, on sugary snacks, on candy, and that has to change.”

Rollins said she is working with a dozen governors to implement the change in the food stamp program. She said it requires the governors to seek a waiver, and the USDA would grant it. “You’re going to be seeing a lot of announcements on this over the coming months.” 

The United States consumes the most sugar of any country in the world and the average daily intake of sugar is 126.4 grams daily. The CDC states that 12 teaspoons of added sugar is the maximum recommended amount. 126 grams equates to 30 teaspoons daily. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 6% of daily caloric intake comes from added sugar. That is about six teaspoons for the average American woman and nine for the average American man.

The World Health Organization (WHO), like the CDC, recommends limiting added sugars to no more than 10% of caloric intake but states that reductions to 5% will lead to more health benefits.

Pepsi and General Mills are both forum members of the American Heart Association.