How the MAHA movement influenced food and beverage brands in 2025

"For some, MAHA has been defined by its efforts around medicines and vaccines, like the White House's push to suggest there's a link between acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, and autism, in spite of numerous studies showing no link between the two. For others, the MAHA movement has been defined by its efforts to improve America's food supply and to remove artificial dyes and other synthetic additives from America's packaged food and drinks."

"When the FDA announced the decision to ban Red Dye No. 3 from food, a number of major CPG conglomerates, like Nestlé and PepsiCo, announced efforts to reformulate their products, including removing additives and synthetic coloring. Since then, the FDA has been working to ban other synthetic colors that include Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6 and Red No. 40 by the end of 2026. In turn, food and beverage manufacturers hit the ground running this year with plans to phase out a number of these ingredients."

MAHA is a broad health initiative led by health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Trump Administration that has influenced medicine and food policy. Some proponents emphasize alleged links between acetaminophen and autism despite numerous studies finding no connection. Other MAHA efforts focus on improving the food supply by removing artificial dyes and synthetic additives. The FDA announced a ban on Red Dye No. 3 and is pursuing restrictions on Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6 and Red No. 40 by the end of 2026. Major companies including Nestlé, PepsiCo, Walmart, Kraft Heinz, Tyson Foods and General Mills are reformulating products and removing ingredients to meet cleaner-label demand.

Read at Digiday