Following the formation of Americans for Ingredient Transparency (AFIT), a food industry-backed lobbyist group with the goal of stopping state-level food additives restrictions, 84 consumer protection and public health organizations have signed a letter urging Congress to oppose efforts to limit the power of states to set their own laws regarding food and food contact chemicals.

“For many decades, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has failed to address the safety of food and food contact chemicals. Most food chemicals enter commerce without a safety review by FDA, and FDA does not routinely reconsider the safety of food chemicals once they have entered commerce,” the letter says. “As a result, many food and food contact chemicals allowed in foods offered for sale in the U.S. are not allowed in foods offered for sale in other nations.”

The letter continues, “In response, states have led efforts to address the risks posed by food and food contact chemicals by enacting laws in five states and considering laws in more than 20 states… We understand that Congress may consider food safety legislation. As you do so, we urge you to reject efforts to limit the power of states to protect consumers.”

Among the letter’s signees are Consumer Reports, the Environmental Working Group, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), and Consumer Federation of America.

Officially announcing its launch just a week prior to the letter’s publication, AFIT’s goal is to “correct a maze of state-by-state-laws” that restrict or prohibit the use of colorants, additives, and ingredients in foods. The conservative-aligned group is backed by dozens of “Big Food” representatives, many of which have made voluntary promises to eliminate certain food dyes and additives from their products in response to “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) pressures from U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) and the public.

Industry associations and food companies that both support AFIT and have stated their intent to phase out the use of certain ingredients include, but are not limited to, Conagra Brands, General Mills, Hormel Foods, Kraft Heinz, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Tyson Foods, and the Consumer Brands Association.

Since 2023, beginning with the passage of the California Food Safety Act, a wave of similar laws (i.e., those banning the sale of foods containing certain ingredients statewide or from public schools), have cropped up in a growing number of states, including Texas, Louisiana, West Virginia, Arizona, Delaware, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.