CHICAGO, August 4, 2026 — Several hundred food manufacturers, trade associations and retailers have joined forces to press Congress for federal food ingredient standards and policies to pre-empt a feared patchwork of state regulations.
A letter sent to the Democrat and Republican leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives requests that bipartisan legislation be drafted to avert the confusion and expense of forcing the nation’s food industry to meet a hodgepodge of requirements.
Specifically, it asks for five actions:
- Establish a uniform national standard for “food ingredient review, use, and labeling requirements.”
- Reaffirm the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the primary authority on food ingredients.
- Provide more information to consumers on the science behind changes in food standards and what ingredients are permitted in their food.
- Modernize the Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) framework to ensure manufacturers aren’t hamstrung by impractical or political considerations.
- Protect the affordability and stability of the nation’s food supply chain.
It was signed by parties ranging from the National Restaurant Association to the Hy-Vee grocery chain to California Canning Peach Association. About 270 stakeholders in total are listed as signees. They call themselves the Americans for Ingredient Transparency.
The communication came almost simultaneous with the start date of new regulations in Arizona that ban certain dyes and other additives from meals served in schools under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Several other states have similarly altered their standards for school meals or changed their food policies.
The letter contends that variation in state ingredient regulations could end up costing consumers as much as 12% more for groceries because of the complications the patchwork poses for manufacturers.
The communication also comes as the food industry is awaiting several key outputs of the Trump Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.
Nutrition standards affecting all schools participating in the NSLP have been submitted for an assessment of the practical impact by the Office of Management and Budget, a process with a 90-day timeframe.
New GRAS standards are also in an advanced stage of development.
The MAHA movement, led by U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has turned a bright spotlight on America’s diet and nutrition, stirring considerable controversy in the process. Kennedy has been accused of mixing personal and political considerations into the policies he has advocated. The Coalition stresses the need to base ingredient policy decisions on science.
“Congress has a unique opportunity to address consumer concerns through a science-based federal framework that reinforces public trust while preserving a safe, affordable, and reliable food supply,” it states.
The letter was sent to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota), Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (New York), House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (New York).
Also sent a copy was Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Cassidy, a doctor of medicine, was defeated in his state’s primary election by a candidate backed by President Donald Trump, meaning he will not run for his seat in November. But Cassidy, an outspoken critic of Kennedy, has vowed to mount a campaign to improve childhood nutrition and counter food insecurity.