by Matt Agorist, The Free Thought Project:
General Mills, Nestlé, Coca-Cola and other ultraprocessed food companies launched Americans for Ingredient Transparency to appear transparent while secretly protecting their products from scrutiny. The group actively blocks state-level food safety laws and undermines the Make America Healthy Again coalition’s efforts to improve the quality of the U.S. food supply.
(U.S. Right To Know) Ultraprocessed food and agribusiness companies have launched a new organization, Americans for Ingredient Transparency (AFIT), to counteract efforts by the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) coalition and others to improve the quality of America’s food supply.
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AFIT is funded by large ultraprocessed food and beverage companies, including General Mills, Kraft Heinz, Nestlé, Tyson Foods, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, and more than a dozen food industry trade associations.
These companies appear to be using the deceptively named AFIT not to promote transparency but rather to federally preempt tough new state-level food safety laws.
Their main purpose seems to be product defense for unhealthy ultraprocessed food and many of its unsafe artificial additives.
Funded by giant food corporations and their trade groups
AFIT is backed by dozens of ultraprocessed food and beverage companies, related trade associations, and growers’ groups for commodities used in ultraprocessed foods.
Big Food backers listed on AFIT’s website include The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Nestlé, General Mills, Kraft Heinz, Tyson Foods, Conagra Brands, Keurig, Dr. Pepper, Hormel Foods, Ocean Spray, Ken’s, McCormick, Sargento, Sysco, and Enterprises Inc. baked foods conglomerate.
Trade groups backing AFIT include the American Bakers Association, American Beverage, American Frozen Food Institute, Consumer Brands Association (formerly the Grocery Manufacturers Association), FMI: The Food Industry Association, Independent Bakers Association, Meat Institute, National Association of Manufacturers, National Restaurant Association, National Retail Federation, North American Millers Association and SNAC: Snacking, Nutrition and Convenience International.
Trade groups representing commodities for ultraprocessed foods include the Corn Refiners Association, American Farm Bureau Federation and American Soybean Association, among others.
Top advisors are a pesticide defender and a lobbyist
The AFIT website lists two “Senior Advisors” with histories of defending health-harming companies that want to avoid scrutiny and regulation.
Julie Gunlock is director of the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF), a group that partnered with Monsanto to defend pesticides and received funding from tobacco companies but did not disclose that funding even as it promoted tobacco products.
This is a classic front group tactic in which corporations argue for deregulation through the voices of third-party allies who do not disclose their corporate funding.
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