Building a More Health-Focused Food System

We continue to cover the impact of anti-obesity drugs on public health, the dietary supplement industry, and food and beverage formulation. As awareness of GLP-1 grows, and adoption of these drugs accelerates, businesses must continue adapting to shifting consumer needs and preferences.

At the same time, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative, led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is drawing attention to the U.S. food supply, with a focus on artificial food dyes and ultra-processed foods (UPFs).

How did we reach a point where an estimated 70% of our diets consist of factory-made products rather than food grown on farms? Nutrition and public health educator Jessica Knurick, PhD, RDN, recently explained to her more than 1 million Instagram followers that decades of deregulation and pro-corporate policies dating back to the Reagan era created an environment where profits often outweighed public health.

The farm crisis of the 1980s fueled consolidation, weakened local food systems, and entrenched reliance on industrialized, packaged food production. At the same time, the shareholder value movement pressured food companies to deliver quarterly growth. The outcome was predictable: companies cut costs with cheaper ingredients and flooded the market with hyper-palatable products high in salt, sugar, and fat, but low in fiber and micronutrients.

Today, policymakers are beginning to respond. According to Politico, state legislatures have introduced more than 130 bills this year to restrict UPFs and improve nutrition, more than 60 targeting pesticides and chemicals, and another 130 expanding vaccine exemptions or prohibiting mandates. Clearly, the policy landscape is as complex as it is active.

However, rebalancing the food system will require structural change that includes investments in local and regional food systems, stronger support for small- and mid-sized farms, and regulations that elevate public health alongside economic interests.

Still, policy change alone won’t be enough. Companies in the dietary supplement and nutrition business are uniquely positioned to help reshape consumer health. By advancing clinically validated ingredients and making science-driven claims companies can build and strengthen trust while delivering better outcomes.

Now more than ever it’s important for industry to speak with a collective voice to help guide policy and urge leaders to shift investment toward preventive health measures.

We know the cost of the status quo: high rates of obesity, diabetes, and related illness that weigh heavily on families and the healthcare system. By aligning innovation with advocacy, the nutrition industry can help build a better, more resilient system.