In the News

“The Sugar Association renewed its call for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to end decades of inaction and require transparent labeling of non-sugar sweeteners. The move — the second supplement to a 2020 petition originally backed by 30,000 citizen signatories — lands squarely inside the Make America Healthy (MAHA) agenda and a broader consumer push

“Courtney Gaine, the president and CEO of The Sugar Association, both noted that sugar consumption has decreased in the United States even while obesity rates have risen….Gaine encouraged the farmers to emphasize that sugar is grown in this country and that if sugar is removed from a recipe it’s often replaced by artificial sweeteners.” Read

“In specific guidelines for certain age groups and subpopulations, the new DGA advise to “avoid added sugars during infancy and early childhood” (birth to 4 years) and say “no amount of added sugars is recommended” up to age 11. The DGA provide no evidence to support such extreme recommendations. In fact, the author of the

“The Feeding the Economy report affirms the vital role food and agriculture play in our nation’s economic resilience and food security. Commercial bakers have long been proud partners to American agriculture, sourcing 85 percent of their core ingredients from domestic farmers….Sponsoring organizations from the food and agriculture industries, who helped make the 2026 study possible, provided commentary on this year’s findings. The full list of sponsoring organizations includes: …The Sugar Association”

“Courtney Gaine, president and CEO of the Sugar Association, a scientific body that supports the U.S. sugar industry, told the USDA Outlook Forum that the school meal standards taking effect next year might prohibit added sugars in kindergarten meals and could significantly restrict them in other grades. That change alone would cut sugar demand by over 130,000 short tons. The industry faces additional pressure from rising GLP-1 weight-loss drug usage, which jumped from 12% in May 2024 to 18% in November 2025, though Gaine cautioned it remains “premature to assess the impact.”

“Gaine added, “There is no data to support all this.” She said the focus on added sugar is often politically motivated, but food groups have not pushed back on the MAHA pressure. There is a lot of fear of retaliation, and for good reason they have not wanted to push back publicly,” Gaine said. “I think it’s going to demand a coordinated, really coordinated, pushing back. Any effort up (until) now has been to go along to get along, and I don’t know if that’s going to work.”