CSPI along with other advocates have filed a petition asking USDA to restrict added sugars in school meals and ban use of low-calorie sweeteners. The Sugar Association supports mandate on sweeteners, but says the proposed restriction on added sugars can have unintended consequences.
“When it comes to competitive foods, policymakers need to consider the unintended consequences of drastic limits on added sugars when applied to a single product,” Gaine said. “The recommendation to reduce added sugars to less than 10% of calories is intended to apply to a diet – over a day, week, month – not to a product.”
So limiting added sugars to 10% or less of a single product could restrict children’s access to products that are otherwise healthy, Gaine stressed.
“We support the alignment of school breakfast and lunch with the federal government’s 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans with meals containing less than 10% of calories from added sugars on average over the week,” she stressed.”
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March 22, 2026
"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"
March 10, 2026
"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."
March 3, 2026
"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."
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