“A wider range of packaged foods, including canned fish, canned beans and some plant-based dairy, could qualify for reimbursement under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) following an update by the US Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), announced this week.
Sugar Association argues that added sugar limit may prevent access to nutrient-dense foods, incentivize low- and no-calorie sweeteners. The trade association commended the agency’s recommendations for a nutritionally balanced and flexible program, however, argue that the limitation of added sugars (10% of total calories) on individual products could limit access to nutrient-dense foods, and potentially incentivize the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners.
“Added sugar limits on individual foods … contradict scientific evidence showing that grains and flavored dairy sweetened with sugar are not associated with adiposity and, in fact, are associated with improved nutrient adequacy,” Courtney Gaine, president and CEO, Sugar Association shared in a recent statement.
The Sugar Association, along with the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics, argue a reliance on artificial sweeteners could pose health concerns particularly among children, citing a 300% growth in five years of reformulations in low- and no-calorie sweeteners. “Going forward, the US Department of Agriculture should ensure adequate intake of nutrient dense foods and limit the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners, which are likely to be further incentivized by this rule,” Gaine added.”
Read the full article here: https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2024/04/10/USDA-finalizes-modern-WIC-program-secures-additional-1bn-in-funding
February 25, 2026
Courtney Gaine, president and CEO of the Sugar Association, which represents the industry on scientific matters, said at the International Sweetener Colloquium. “It is really easy to regulate sugar. You can get easy wins for sugar,” Gaine said as she others discussed the impact of the MAHA movement. “The narrative is: The government and food […]
February 20, 2026
Courtney Gaine, president and CEO of the Sugar Association, a scientific body which 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 significantly restrict them in other grades. That change alone would cut sugar demand by over […]
January 10, 2026
The health secretary’s new dietary guidelines tell parents to cut the added sugar until their kids turn 11. “Misleading rhetoric “declaring war” on and creating unsubstantiated fear about a real ingredient like real sugar will not improve children’s health,” said Courtney Gaine, the association’s president and CEO, in a statement. “Real sugar — which comes […]
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