Lobbying Group Wants Federal Control Over Food Supply to Preempt “Patchwork” of Different State Laws
Updated
Americans for Ingredient Transparency (AFIT) is a new lobbying coalition of processed food manufacturers that is pushing for a national labeling regulation that preempts state laws that are being passed as part of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda. The group is supported by Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nestle, General Mills, Tyson Foods, Kraft, Sysco, Sargento, and several other large corporate processed food companies. There are also several trade groups, including the American Beverage Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, Corn Refiners Association, and the Meat Institute, which are providing support to the venture.
A Washington Examiner article said AFIT is “MAHA-aligned” and said the group has connections with President Donald Trump. The primary policy initiative of the group is to allow the FDA to set uniform standards for safety assessments, ingredient approvals, registrations, reporting requirements, and labeling requirements. There is no current bill to set these actions in motion, but the group has celebrated the fact that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said a national food labeling standard is “on the table.”
“The goal of this group is to undermine all of the Governors who have bravely enacted state legislation to get chemicals out of our food,” Food Babe Vani Hari wrote on her blog. “Dozens of states have pending bills to ban harmful food chemicals, and several states have already passed historical legislation–such as West Virginia’s upcoming ban on artificial dyes and other additives, California’s new legislation to remove ultra-processed food from schools, and a new Texas law requiring warning labels on ingredients banned in other countries.”
“The reason why the industry wants a ‘federal standard’ instead of these state laws is because they know that it takes much longer to create federal regulations,” Hari added. “There is so much red tape and politics involved that it can take decades.”
In April, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and Secretary Kennedy announced a plan to phase out synthetic food dyes by the end of 2027, but this is a voluntary plan, and no ban has been implemented. Since there are food dye bans in place in some states, the goal of AFIT is to pass a less restrictive federal law that preempts the state laws that have already been implemented, as well as any that may be enacted in the future.
“Julie Gunlock is leading this group–and once you find out who she is, you’ll be disgusted,” Hari wrote. “Julie is a long-time pro-chemical, pro-GMO, pro-industry, and pesticide-loving apologist who wrote an entire book mocking Americans who care about harmful chemicals in our food. She thinks moms should feed their babies Roundup-tainted Cheerios and keep unnecessary ingredients like Titanium Dioxide in our food (even though it’s banned in Europe due to cancer risk). This is who we’re supposed to trust to lead the way towards a safer food system??? Give me a break.”
AFIT says Americans should support a federal blanket regulation to preempt state laws because it will prevent costs from rising. AFIt Senior Adviser Andy Koenig told Politico that the “patchwork of labeling regulations could undermine President Trump’s goal to lower costs for Americans.
The CDC published data this year from a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from August 2021 to August 2023. The results show that 61.8% of calories for ages 1-18 in the United States come from ultra-processed foods (UPF). Adults aged 19 and older consume 53% UPF. The CDC classified UPFs as foods that “consist of industrial formulations of processed foods that typically contain unnatural additives, such as colorings or emulsifiers.
UPFs are linked with a higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a higher risk of obesity, which is linked to several adverse health outcomes for people of all ages.
A 2023 journal article evaluated the concept of food addiction and used the Yale Food Addiction Scale. The authors state, “Refined carbohydrates or fats evoke similar levels of extracellular dopamine in the brain striatum to those seen with addictive substances such as nicotine and alcohol.” They add that minimally processed foods typically contain either carbohydrates or fat, but UPFs are more likely to have high amounts of both. “The combination of refined carbohydrates and fats often found in UPFs seems to have a supra-additive effect on brain reward systems, above either macronutrient alone, which may increase the addictive potential of these foods,” the authors wrote.
The authors state that food additives can contribute to the addictiveness of UPFs by enhancing sweet and savory tastes and textures to improve mouthfeel. They add that additives are also added to cigarettes to achieve the same goal. The authors referenced an analysis of two systematic reviews including 281 studies from 36 different countries, which found that 14% of adults and 12% of children are addicted to food. That is reportedly similar to the rates of addiction for alcohol and tobacco, at 14% and 18% respectively.
The additives in UPFs contribute to obesity, ADHD behavioral issues, inflammation, and some of them are linked to potential tumor growth, cellular and DNA damage, and metabolic issues.
As states look to make their own decisions about ingredients safe for their residents, AFIT seeks a one-size-fits-all federal regulation. Hari and others warn that AFIT is not interested in food transparency but rather seeks to protect profits from UPF sales.
AFIT is not the only lobbying group created in response to the MAHA movement. The HighWire reported earlier this year about Americans for Food and Beverage Choice, known as “CartChoice” on X, which is a lobbying group that opposes restrictions on SNAP benefits. The focus of the group is primarily on sugary beverages, of which 18 states have successfully removed them from SNAP eligibility. These changes will be taking place on various dates throughout 2026.
