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A recent coalition of ultraprocessed food giants has launched what it calls a campaign for “ingredient transparency.”

In reality, Americans for Ingredient Transparency (AFIT) is a corporate front designed to weaken state food safety protections and concentrate regulatory power where industry influence is strongest, inside the FDA.

The group’s name is intentionally misleading, masking its efforts to preserve profit margins under the guise of consumer protection

AFIT was formed in October 2025, backed by companies that regularly prioritize profits over consumer well-being: Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz, Nestlé, Tyson Foods, General Mills, Unilever, and Archer Daniels Midland. 

It is also supported by trade associations with a history of deception: the Consumer Brands Association, American Beverage Association, Corn Refiners Association, and the American Farm Bureau Federation.

On paper, AFIT claims to promote a “uniform national standard” for ingredient labeling. It also pushes reform of the GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) system front-of-pack labeling, and digital disclosure tools. 

But actual watchdogs like Environmental Working Group (EWG), Consumer Reports, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), and US Right to Know say the real objective is to block stronger state laws that restrict or ban harmful profit-driven additives.

Over 60 percent of US packaged foods contain technical and harmful additives, largely banned in Europe. While some states have tightened rules, AFIT’s federal push threatens to roll back that progress.

AFIT dismisses state regulations as “confusing” and “costly,” and its federal “standard” would strip states of the power to ban synthetic dyes, artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers, and other additives, prioritizing corporate profits over public health.

Legislation at risk includes:

• California’s Food Safety Act (2023), which bans chemicals linked to cancer and behavioral issues 
• West Virginia’s 2025 measure on food additives, which restricts dyes and emulsifiers 

The danger here goes beyond policy. AFIT and other industry-backed advocacy groups also collect data on people with whom they engage, including demographics, purchasing behavior, and regulatory attitudes. This ill-gotten data informs corporate strategy to undermine regulatory efforts, fine-tune deceptive messaging, and adapt tactics to maintain the illusion of transparency.

This is a dangerous expansion of corporate influence, where companies manipulate public opinion and weaken democratic oversight through astroturfing, fake consumer groups, posing as public advocates, and covert lobbying.

AFIT’s campaign doesn’t expand transparency; it weaponizes it. Under the banner of openness, Big Food consolidates power, harvests trust, and rewrites the rules to keep consumers in the dark about what’s really in their food.

What you can do now:

• Choose brands with clear, honest labels and less packaging.
• Read ingredient lists, not marketing claims.
• Cook more meals at home.
• Buy from local or transparent producers.
• Build basic nutrition literacy.
• Ask brands for clearer sourcing and labeling.
• Support policies and organizations that require ingredient transparency.
• Reduce reliance on ultra-processed foods.

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The author writes, “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.”

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Global Responsibility Report 2025

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