Food industry lobbyists argue that food safety laws drive up grocery prices. EWG’s review of the shelf tells a different story – retailers are already proving that removing chemicals of concern from food doesn’t cost consumers a dime, and often costs them less.
Grocery “store brands” like Walmart’s Great Value tend to be less expensive than famous name brands like Kraft and Kellogg. Grocers save money when they work directly with manufacturers and they pass some of those savings along to you.
But store brands can sometimes also have fewer chemicals of concern while saving consumers money, proving that “healthier” and “cheaper” aren’t in conflict. Reformulating products while cutting the price shoppers pay is possible, and already being done.
Many retailers have created lists of chemicals they no longer use in their store brands, including Albertsons, H-E-B, Meijer, Hy-Vee, Kroger, Harris Teeter, Publix, ShopRite, Trader Joe’s, Walmart and Wegmans.
Some of these retailers have removed more than 100 chemicals of concern from their own store brands. For example, Albertsons list 117 substances that are not used in their “Open Nature” store Brand. H-E-B includes 203 that are free from their “Select Ingredients” line of products. These chemicals include BHT and TBHQ, preservatives that have been linked to tumor promotion in animals and immune dysfunction.
That’s not only good news for consumers. It also undercuts the false claims food companies are making right now to fight food safety bills in Congress.
Affordable foods with fewer harmful chemicals
EWG looked at the name and store brands of common grocery items sold by several national chains that have store brands that have committed to not use select food chemicals of concern, such as those found on EWG’s Dirty Dozen™ Food Chemicals.
A few examples:
- Aldi Fruit Rounds, Mom’s Best Fruity Rings and Wegmans Frosted Fruit O’s are all cheaper alternatives to Kellogg’s Froot Loops – and are free of synthetic dyes.
- Trader Joe’s version of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups leave out the TBHQ.
- WalMart’s store brand, Great Value, has a version of Cheez-It that’s free from TBHQ and costs less than the name brand version.
Source: EWG review of retailer websites accessed July 28, 2026
Store brands are often cheaper than name brands. Soda is one product type where the store brand can be less expensive and contain fewer toxic chemicals. For example, Whole Foods’ lemon-lime soda is more than $1 less than Mountain Dew.
This doesn’t mean that every store brand food is healthy. Sugary cereals, soda and candy are still full of sugar. But when consumers choose to enjoy these foods as part of a healthy diet, they should know that foods free of harmful chemicals don’t require paying more for it.
Yet that’s exactly what food companies have been telling Congress.
Industry deception
Some of your favorite food companies are telling lawmakers that removing toxic chemicals from food and food packaging will drive up the cost of food.
Their industry front group falsely claims that state laws making our food safe would increase food prices. Food lobbyists have even hired “experts” who worked for chemical manufacturers like Dow to argue that food chemical ban bills would raise costs for consumers.
But their math makes bogus assumptions about how consumers actually shop. And it ignores affordable alternatives sitting on the same shelf. In fact, it’s also contradicted by another food industry report that found two-thirds of all grocery retailers are reformulating brands to meet consumers’ demand for cleaner products.
If reformulation were as costly as industry claims, retailers wouldn’t be doing it voluntarily, at scale, while keeping prices flat or lower. Their math simply does not add up.
States are leading on food safety laws
States have banned many toxic chemicals from food and food packaging, including chemicals linked to cancer.
The Food and Drug Administration, by contrast, has banned just two – and only after states had done so. So far, the second Trump FDA has not banned a single chemical of concern. Without state action, there is little hope that the worst food chemicals will be off our plates any time soon.
We need the states to protect us.
When it comes to the toxic chemicals in our food, the FDA has a long history of failure. It has largely allowed food chemical companies to decide which food chemicals are safe and permitted these companies to add new chemicals to food without the FDA’s knowledge. Proposals to narrow these loopholes are still just that: proposals.
Some members of Congress now want to make things even worse.
They would block states from keeping our food safe, and would do so both retroactively and prospectively. This isn’t just about stopping states from passing new food safety protections. Their bill would also retroactively wipe out laws already in effect.
In all, the proposal in Congress could preempt more than 100 state laws that keep our food safe from chemicals, contaminants and pathogens like cyclospora.
Retailers are doing their part – removing many of the worst chemicals from their own store brands. But consumers shouldn’t have to worry about which brands they can trust every time they go to the grocery store.
For consumers who want to find out more about what’s in their food, EWG’s Food Scores rates more than 150,000 foods and beverages based on nutrition, ingredients and level of processing. Food Scores also flags ultra-processed food and can point shoppers toward healthier alternatives.
