November 26, 2018
Food industry publication Food Dive quoted Sugar Association CEO Courtney Gaine, PhD, RD, as part of its analysis of the American Medical Association’s push to add front-of-package warning labels about sugar. The article points out that added sugars are already getting their own callout on Nutrition Facts label changes going into effect in 2020 and 2021, but the AMA thinks more is needed.
The medical association argues that more information is better, while the Sugar Association counters these numbers are meaningless because there is no amount of sugar that causes adverse health impacts. When it comes to the consumers, many say they want more ingredient information on food and beverage labels, even though they sometimes ignore it.
Read the full article at: https://www.fooddive.com/news/should-the-fda-require-front-of-package-warnings-about-sugar/542651/
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.
Get Social with #MoreToSugar