The Sugar Association is stepping up pressure on FDA to respond to its 2020 petition requesting more transparent labeling for sweeteners in food.
“The FDA’s rules for alternative sweetener labeling are antiquated and mislead consumers about what is really happening in the food supply. Further agency delay on this important issue will make the problem worse,” said Courtney Gaine, the Sugar Association’s president and CEO. “We urge the FDA to take action on our Citizen Petition immediately to provide consumers the transparency they are looking for, in turn boosting consumer trust and confidence in the foods they buy and eat.”
Coming less than a week before the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health, the Sugar Association’s plea also urged the Biden administration to tackle the issue at the upcoming conference, which will result in the creation of a national strategy to reduce hunger and chronic disease and improve nutrition.
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."
© 2026 The Sugar Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
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