Dive Brief:
- Removing artificial dyes and other food-related policies central to the Make America Healthy Again Movement have found a groundswell of support across the political spectrum, according to the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
- A survey of U.S. adults found 73% of respondents on average were in favor of six MAHA agenda items related to regulating chemicals and additives in foods, including 83% of MAHA supporters and 73% non-MAHA supporters.
- Labeling ultraprocessed foods had the highest support among all survey respondents at 80%. Ultraprocessed food labeling was also more important to non-MAHA supporters than MAHA backers, with 31% of non-supporters ranking it among their top three priorities.
Dive Insight:
Even though only around a quarter of Americans call themselves MAHA supporters, according to the survey, a larger part of the movement's food policy priorities have wider approval among voters.
Bipartisan support for these issues means the possibility for food reform will likely remain on the table even as the MAHA movement fractures and Republicans brace for potential losses in upcoming midterm elections.
“The findings suggest that it’s important to distinguish support for MAHA from support for specific MAHA policies,” Laura A. Gibson, an APPC research analyst, said in a statement. “Many people who say they don’t support the movement nonetheless share its concerns about additives, chemicals, and highly processed foods.”
States across the country — and the political spectrum — have moved forward with legislation that regulates everything from food additives to ingredient disclosures. In Congress, Democrats have spearheaded regulation around ultraprocessed foods and additives. Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Cory Booker, for example, have introduced legislation requiring the FDA to define “ultraprocessed” as the agency delays an interpretation of the term.
The APPC study asked participants to rank 17 MAHA agenda issues ranging from food policy to vaccine regulation. Regulating chemical additives in food was the leading priority for all respondents — including MAHA supporters, nonsupporters, and those unsure about MAHA. Removing highly processed foods from school lunches also ranked near the top for all three groups.
As ultraprocessed food labels become a growing bipartisan issue, the FDA is under pressure to release its definition of the term. This would pave the way for future labeling mandates or other regulations.
Last week, more than 100 nutrition and medical experts signed an open letter to the Office of Management and Budget to urge the administration to release its delayed ultraprocessed food definition.
A study from the University of Chicago earlier this week found a mandatory ultraprocessed food label could cost the food industry $14 billion a year, including $9.5 billion in reformulation.
