Food companies make promises while MAHA looks for more
But some of Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" base question if the companies deserve a celebration.
Why it matters: The commitments aren't enforceable. And nutritionists and influencers say they largely don't address the primary drivers of chronic diseases that Kennedy has made his cause.
State of play: Companies including General Mills, PepsiCo, Conagra, Nestle, Hershey and Kraft Heinz have said they'll remove artificial dyes from their products within the next two years.
Coca-Cola pledged to roll out a product that uses cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. Starbucks is looking to remove canola oil from products on its menu.
Steak 'n Shake was among the earliest to get on board, agreeing to cook its fries in beef tallow instead of seed oils.
"Secretary Kennedy has consistently emphasized that the Department's top priority is ensuring the health and transparency that American families deserve," a Health and Human Services spokesperson said in an email to Axios. "Recent food industry commitments to remove artificial dyes, seed oils, and high fructose corn syrup are a positive step."
Some MAHA faithful question whether the resulting fanfare amounts to a free pass, akin to a dubious healthy food claim.
"They are not big MAHA wins," said Rob Houton, founder of the MAHA Coalition, an advocacy group that builds support for the MAHA agenda.
"Those companies want to trumpet that, right? [It's] very clever of them to say, 'Oh, we're in agreement.' But what they are trumpeting as a big deal is not transformative."
"The analogy I would make is it's like you have a dilapidated house, the foundation is crumbling and you think that you can correct everything by just putting a new coat of paint on it all," said Arden Anderson, a physician, agriculture consultant and MAHA supporter.
As for the two-year window some companies have to make good on their commitments, "what I want to see is that they are doing it," said Ana-Maria Temple, a holistic pediatrician and an influencer aligned with MAHA.
Between the lines: Some activists say the most substantive changes would be in regulating agriculture — a touchy proposition for an administration eager not to alienate farm interests.
MAHA discontent is building around the House Interior spending bill, which includes language that would offer liability protections for the makers of pesticides.
There's also frustration with agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, which removed regulations against pesticides and "forever chemicals."
"We are extremely disappointed with some of the actions taken by this administration to protect the polluters and the pesticide companies," Zen Honeycutt, the founder of Moms Across America, told Vox.
What to watch: Kennedy is set to release a blueprint within days for how the administration intends to address issues raised in a MAHA Commission report that was released in May.
Supporters say it will be a test of the administration's willingness to impose new standards on food ingredients, as well as transparency requirements about what's in their products.
"Under the MAHA agenda, HHS supports real accountability and science-based standards to ensure that any promised changes are both transparent and truly meaningful for consumers," the HHS spokesperson said in the emailed statement.
The bottom line: These moves are creating awareness and pressure that the food industry has never had to respond to before, and that's important, Temple said.
"Is it the final answer? Of course not," Temple said of the commitments the administration has extracted from industry. "More people are going to be asking questions. That's a huge win."
"The small changes that have been made ... you might think, 'Well, that's not making that big of a difference,'" said Hilda Labrada Gore, a health coach, podcast host and MAHA supporter. "But it's a start."
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Associated Press
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- Associated Press
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Advertisement In more severe cases, blindness, seizures and coma can follow. 6 At the hospital — where doctors were surprised she'd made it alive — she had to drink vodka to help flush the methanol from her system. Instagram / @ashkng The Institute says methanol poisoning can often be treated if doctors intervene within 10 to 30 hours. One surprising thing that can help? Drinking alcohol. While she was in the hospital, King says she was given several vodkas with orange juice to flush the methanol from her system. Advertisement 'It was the most absurd drinking game I've ever played,' she said. 'The drunker I got the more I could breathe, the more I was able to see.' They also give her hemodialysis to filter waste from the blood, plus steroids to try to fix her eyes — but she was left with only about 2% vision, which she describes as 'like snowfall or a TV screen.' 'I've never felt so alone in my life,' she said. 'Three days ago, I had had my entire life ahead of me. And now you're telling me that I'm blind?' 6 The early signs of methanol poisoning might not raise any red flags after a night of drinking. Tunatura – How to avoid the poison pour Advertisement While the problem is global, statistics show that Asia has the highest prevalence of methanol poisoning worldwide, with outbreaks commonly occurring in Indonesia, India, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines, according to Doctors Without Borders. Since 2019, the group has tracked more than 1,000 incidents that have poisoned over 40,000 people and killed roughly 14,200. The fatality rate in an outbreak is often reported to be 20% to 40%. Last month, the US Embassy in Jordan issued a warning after a rash of methanol-related deaths linked to locally made booze — and offered some tips for travelers looking to avoid similar fates. Start by sticking to alcohol sold in licensed liquor stores, bars, hotels and established markets. Skip street vendors and informal setups. If the drink is dirt cheap, there's probably a reason — counterfeit alcohol is often sold for a fraction of the real thing. And don't accept free drinks from strangers. At the bar, watch your drink being made. If it smells off or tastes strange, ditch it. You should also avoid homemade liquor or local spirits. When in doubt, especially in unfamiliar places, skip the hard stuff altogether. Pre-packaged options like beer, cider, wine or duty-free liquor are generally safer and harder to tamper with. 6 If you suspect you've been exposed to methanol, contact emergency services right away. Jair – Before cracking open any bottle, inspect it for signs of tampering — poor label quality, broken seals or obvious spelling errors are all red flags. And of course, never let your drink out of sight. While abroad, the office said it's smart to sign up for travel alerts from your government's foreign-affairs department or local embassy. Keeping tabs on local news and knowing how to reach emergency services can also make all the difference, just in case that nightcap turns into a nightmare. 'This doesn't need to happen. But it does, and not enough people know about it. Because of this, I'm sharing my story,' King said. She's also launched a petition to spread awareness and encourage education on the dangers in both schools and airpots.
