The Trump administration is determined to “Make America Healthy Again” and has made healthier food a central part of its strategy.
Has the president in his second term made our food healthier? What would it really take to support healthy diets?
So far, the administration has pledged to change how new food chemicals are reviewed and proposed a new way to triage the safety of the food chemicals we’re already eating.
The White House has also secured industry commitments to remove food dyes ahead of the statutory deadline set by West Virginia.
And it recently asked the public to help shape a federal definition of ultra-processed foods.
But government agencies have not yet banned any food chemicals of concern, including those linked to cancer and other serious health harms, or set limits on the presence of toxic chemicals in our food.
What’s more, in several ways the executive branch and Congress have made it harder to build healthy diets. They’ve cut funds for programs that connect schools and food banks with local farmers, while slashing food assistance programs.
And the administration is firing or censoring nutrition experts – the very people whose advice can help identify ways to make Americans’ food healthier.
7 steps the Trump administration can take
On August 12, the administration is expected to release its plan to “Make America Healthy Again.” Here are seven ways the Trump administration could make our food healthier.
1. Ban titanium dioxide in food
The administration could fulfill its commitment to protect us from dangerous food dyes by granting our petition – pending since 2023 – to ban titanium dioxide. Food companies in the European Union are no longer allowed to use titanium dioxide because it can damage DNA. But the Food and Drug Administration keeps insisting it’s safe in food.
2. Set limits on PFAS in food
The executive branch could set limits on the amount of the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS in food. These toxic substances increase the risk of cancer and heart disease but the FDA still allows some uses in food manufacturing and cookware. So far, the agency has refused to grant a petition to ban these uses or set limits on PFAS residues in food.
3. Prohibit the use of solvents in food production
The White House could grant our petition to ban the use of trichloroethylene, or TCE, and the solvents benzene, methylene chloride and ethylene chloride in the production of decaffeinated coffee, spices and hops for beer.
The Environmental Protection Agency just banned all uses of TCE, citing harms ranging from cancer to fetal heart defects. But the FDA continues to allow its use, even though the government’s toxicology experts say TCE causes cancer in animals.
4. Ban dangerous food packaging chemicals
The Trump administration could ban dangerous food packaging chemicals, like bisphenol A, or BPA, phthalates and perchlorate. A petition asking the FDA to ban BPA, filed by EWG and others, has been pending since 2022.
Public health advocates first asked the FDA in 2016 to ban the use of phthalates in food packaging. They cited decades of scientific evidence linking phthalates to birth defects, infertility, preterm birth, damage to children’s brain development, and other serious health harms.
5. Prohibit BHA and BHT
The White House could ban BHA and BHT. The FDA has doubted the safety of butylated hydroxyanisole, or BHA, since 1978. It’s been 34 years since a doctor filed a petition to ban BHA. Since then, the case for a ban has grown stronger, including in the National Toxicology Program’s 2021 conclusion that BHA is “reasonably anticipated to be a carcinogen.”
Like BHA, butylated hydroxytoluene, or BHT, has been linked to serious health harms, including damage to the hormone system. But the FDA keeps insisting both chemicals are safe.
6. Review chemicals before (and after) they’ve entered the food supply
The federal government could ensure that new chemicals are safe before they are added to food.
For decades, the FDA has in most cases allowed chemical companies to decide whether food chemicals are safe. EWG recently found nearly 99% of food chemicals developed since 2000 were reviewed for safety by industry scientists, not the FDA. The administration has pledged to narrow this loophole, but no progress has been made so far.
The White House could also make sure the chemicals we are already eating are safe. Most chemicals people consume every day – in a host of foods and beverages – have not been reviewed for safety for decades, if ever. While the FDA has proposed a new way to prioritize which chemicals to review, the agency has not yet completed a single assessment.
7. Restore funding for key food programs
The executive branch could bring back funding for programs that help improve access to healthy foods.
Better food labels, like those proposed by the last administration, would also help consumers build healthier diets.
States are leading the way
So far, state legislatures have done much more than either this administration – or former President Joe Biden’s – to address the harms of food chemicals.
California and West Virginia have so far banned 12 toxic chemicals in food, including propylparaben, potassium bromate, BHA and seven synthetic food colors.
California also banned brominated vegetable oil and Red Dye No. 3 before the FDA took action at the end of the Biden administration to prohibit their use. Other states – Arizona, Utah and Virginia – have banned artificial coloring in school foods.
In total, more than 30 states have introduced legislation to address food chemicals.
What you can do
In the meantime, if you want to lower your intake of harmful food ingredients, you can:
- Consult EWG’s Food Scores database to find products made without toxic food chemicals, such as those state bills are targeting.
- On the go, check EWG’s Healthy Living app for products free from problematic substances.
- When possible and affordable, limit your intake of ultra-processed foods. Many contain concerning ingredients.
- Choose packaged foods that are certified organic, whenever possible. These products must meet strong standards that protect consumers from exposure to potentially harmful additives.
