This blog post is based on a report, Food Industry Responses to the Make America Healthy Again Initiative, written by Drs. Mary Muth and Brenna Ellison and funded by Healthy Eating Research.  

Mary K. Muth, BS, MS, PhD is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at North Carolina State University and Senior Fellow at the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy.

Brenna Ellison, BS, MS, PhD is a Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University and Director of the USDA-funded Center for Food Conservation and Waste Reduction.

Can you explain what the MAHA initiative is and the implications for food and dietary recommendations?

The MAHA initiative was launched by the current administration in May 2025 and seeks to reverse the chronic disease epidemic in children by transforming food, health, and scientific systems in the U.S. The initiative is organized around four main pillars, which were released in September 2025, and include: (1) advancing research, (2) realigning incentives, (3) public awareness, and (4) corporate accountability. The priorities of the MAHA initiative are organized around these pillars and include strategies such as simplifying and modifying the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), reforming the ingredient notification program called Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), and defining ultra-processed foods (UPFs) to support future research and policy. The MAHA priorities include some strategies that are known to improve the food system, while others lack supporting evidence.

In response to the MAHA initiative, many food companies have announced changes in the products they offer. Companies may change offerings in anticipation of future regulation or because information in the media affects consumer demand for foods with specific attributes. These changes may include introducing new products, adjusting existing products, relabeling products, or potentially discontinuing products. In contrast, food companies might be required to make these types of changes if MAHA-aligned regulations are issued at the state or federal level. Many states have already proposed or passed legislation for food dyes and additives, for example.

What questions were you seeking to answer with this analysis?

The purpose of this project was to assess how the food industry may or may not be changing its food offerings in response to strategies outlined by the MAHA initiative. We sought to characterize the types of companies, types of changes, and reasons noted for the changes, and to assess how those changes might affect the healthfulness of the food supply.

How have food companies responded to the MAHA initiative?

Despite extensive media attention on this issue, relatively few companies have made public announcements regarding changes in response to MAHA initiatives. Rather, most announcements have been made by food manufacturers.

The most substantial change involved the removal of synthetic dyes and their replacement with natural alternatives. This accounted for the vast majority of announcements reviewed across food manufacturers, restaurant chains, and retailers. Four food manufacturers and two retail chains also announced the removal of artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, or other additives. In addition, several companies announced ingredient substitutions, including replacing high fructose corn syrup with sugar (three food manufacturers and one restaurant chain) and replacing seed oils with butter or beef tallow (two food manufacturers and three restaurant chains).

Where do we go from here? What are the implications of your findings for future research or policy and practice changes?

The MAHA initiative is still in its early stages, and future changes could cause more response by industry than observed thus far. The public health community has an important role to play in discouraging voluntary changes that are not grounded in scientific evidence, while advocating for actions that meaningfully improve diet quality.

The potential impacts of these changes on food access should also be considered. If the food industry undertakes costly reformulations or switches to higher-cost ingredients in response to MAHA priorities, these expenses may be passed on to consumers. In addition, variation in MAHA-aligned policies across states could further impact production costs. Future research should examine how food prices change as companies adapt—especially in an era of historically high food price inflation—and identify strategies to support families with limited resources for purchasing healthy foods.