The National Confectioners Association is concerned about sugar restrictions
I subscribe to Jerry Hagstrom’s “The Hagstrom Report” for his tracking of food events in Washington DC I would not know about otherwise. He occasionally hosts sponsored posts and I was especially interested to read this one on September 15: “Candy: An American Manufacturing Success Story 250 Years in the Making” by John Downs, the president and CEO of the National Confectioners Association.
I don’t write about candy much. Yes it’s sugar, but most people don’t eat all that much of it.
The CDC lists these main sources of sugar in US diets:
- 24% from sugary drinks, such as soft drinks, fruit drinks, sports drinks, and energy drinks.
- 19% from desserts and sweet snacks.
- 11% from coffee and tea that is sweetened before sale or added later.
- 9% from candy and sugars.
- 7% from breakfast cereals and bars.
According to Google’s AI, for candy:
- Daily per capita intake: Studies like the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) show an average daily per capita intake of about 10 grams of candy per day across the total population. [1]
But the National Confectioners Association wants you to eat more candy, and not worry about it. Therefore, it wants dietary guidelines to say nothing about sugar or ultra-processed foods. Alas for the NCA, the 2025-2030 guidelines advise limits on both.
Mr, Downs notes that the NCA was in Washington DC that week to meet with congressional representatives. The NCA wants them to know that
the confectionery industry supports nearly 700,000 jobs across manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, retail, and other sectors. Every confectionery manufacturing job supports another 11 American jobs. That is the Power of Sweet — and it shows what’s at stake in policy debates that impact American manufacturing. In celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday, we created our Sweet Land of Liberty campaign…Chocolate and candy have always been about fun, celebration, and connection, and behind every treat stands a great American manufacturing success story.
And then he gets to the ask. When he says “ingredients” he means sugars. He’s particularly worried about ultra-processed food classifications.
The rapidly evolving conversation around food ingredients is one example. In recent years, states have enacted different restrictions, labeling requirements, and other rules governing food ingredients, often reaching different conclusions about how ingredients should be treated. This patchwork of conflicting state requirements creates uncertainty, complicates supply chains, and makes it harder for manufacturers to make long-term investments in American facilities and jobs…Our industry is engaging in conversations around ingredients, nutrition, and the future of the American food supply. We believe that public policy should be grounded in science, administered consistently at the federal level, informed by how food is manufactured, distributed, and consumed. It should also account for the real-world effects on supply chains, manufacturing costs, American jobs, and the prices families pay at the grocery store.
Sounds reasonable, no?
If you want to know why we still do not have a definition of ultra-processed foods, why we still support sugar with tariffs, why Congress won’t touch policies to limit marketing of sugar foods and drinks, chalk it up to effective lobbying. The NCA is small in comparison to the American Beverage Association, but all that talk about jobs on the Sweet Land of Liberty site carries weight.
The MAHA dietary guidelines for sugar are pretty tough.
+ Avoid sugar-sweetened beverages, such as sodas, fruit drinks, and energy drinks.
+ While no amount of added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners is recommended or considered part of a healthy or nutritious diet, one meal should contain no more than 10 grams of added sugars.
+ When selecting snack foods, added sugar limits should follow FDA “Healthy” claim limits. For example, grain snacks (e.g., crackers) should not exceed 5 grams of added sugar per ¾ ounce whole-grain equivalent, and dairy snacks (e.g., yogurt) should not exceed 2.5 grams of added sugar per ⅔ cup equivalent.
But without policy to implement them, they are just talk.
Policy requires opposing industries with vested interests.
This administration has no plans to regulate industry. It is likely to listen hard to Mr. Down’s concerns.
That’s what is meant by “corporate capture.”
