State and Federal Action

Mission Number One: Get state and federal legislation passed to stop self-regulation by food companies and clean up our tainted food supply.

Our broken U.S. food system starts with the decades-old GRAS loophole companies have exploited to create and market addictive, “hyperpalatable” ultra-processed foods (UPFs) high in saturated fats, sugar and salt (HFSS) and loaded with chemical additives. UPFs have been linked to dozens of harmful effects and early death in multiple international, independent studies.

Co-founder Todd Wagner explains our broken food system:

Our Work

• Pushing to eliminate GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe), which has allowed companies to introduce 10,000+ new chemical additives into our food supply without FDA approval
• Leveraging AI to identify and remove the most harmful chemicals already in our food through our Post-Market GRAS AI Analysis
• Working with state legislators to pass bipartisan bills seeking ingredient bans, front-of-package (FOP) warning labels, and GRAS transparency
• Supporting efforts at the state and federal level to establish a statutory definition of UPFs
• Advocating for restrictions on UPF marketing to children, following policies enacted in 20 countries around the world
• Working with dozens of state Attorney General offices to support actions against food companies

Our Wins

• Our ongoing work with California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel has led to the passage of three landmark bills:
  • CA AB418 in 2023 banning four chemicals statewide, two of which have now been banned nationwide by the FDA—Brominated Vegetable Oil and Red Dye No. 3;
  • AB 2316 in 2024 banning six synthetic food dyes in school lunches; and
  • AB 1264 in 2025 establishing a statutory definition of UPFs and phasing harmful UPFs out of schools.
• With our help, now 16 states (including CA) have passed bills with broad bipartisan support.
• We estimate that 35 states have introduced legislation seeking ingredient bans, warning labels, improved nutrition in schools, and state-level GRAS transparency.
• The FDA requested our expertise in their effort to establish a federal statutory definition of UPF.
• We submitted a detailed document to the FDA in support of a petition by former FDA Commissioner Dr. David A. Kessler to revoke GRAS status of processed refined carbohydrates.

Learn about Mission Two: Consumer Empowerment
Learn about Mission Three: Working with Farmers

Related posts on the FoodFight USA blog:

Get Empowered on WTH Can I Eat Now?
Take a Deeper Dive in the FoodFight USA Library