A leading consumer product group on Monday is kicking off a campaign promoting transparency in processed food labeling and pushing back on unrealistic claims that the only good meal is one Americans grow, butcher, and bake from scratch.
With a new ad and educational drive, the Consumer Brands Association is joining the MAHA movement’s push for transparency while rebutting food purists targeting processed foods.
“I hear some influencers say, ‘Forget convenient packaged foods. Grow your own,” says a woman in the new 30-second television and digital ad while surrounded by clucking chickens. In the next scene, four boys appear shocked when their mother, holding one of the live birds, asks them, “Sure, it takes a little extra work, but look how fresh it is. Who wants to help make dinner?”
The point of the humorous ad is that most processed and pre-made foods are healthy and convenient, and their ingredients are easy to see on today’s packaging.
“Growing food is great, but sometimes you just need convenient, nutritious, and affordable. America’s favorite brands make that possible. Expectations about food are high, so we’re offering more transparency, choices, and detailed product information so you’ll always have confidence about what’s on the table,” concluded the new ad.
The campaign will be focused on Washington, where Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is rewriting the rules on food. Kennedy has suggested that he will regulate “ultra-processed foods,” claiming that they are unhealthy.
The campaign by the Consumer Brands Association is aimed at helping educate leaders on the reality of processed foods and join in Kennedy’s demands for transparency in food labeling.
“The makers of America’s favorite household brands have long been committed to transparency and empowering consumers to make informed purchasing decisions about the products they rely on. But we also know consumers expect more information today about what’s in their products,” said Melissa Hockstad, president and CEO of the trade group.
“Consumer Brands is proud to launch this exciting new campaign that puts transparency, safety and the consumer front and center and emphasizes the industry’s commitment to a healthier America,” she added in a statement shared with Washington Secrets.
While it is kicking off the first-ever National Consumer Transparency Week on Monday, the industry has been on a transparency kick for a while through its SmartLabel and Facts up Front campaigns and its “food processing facts” website.
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It has also tackled food “influencers” who have been attacking processed offerings. In one recent blog post, for example, the group said that Americans who might choose a frozen pizza for dinner shouldn’t be demonized by food purists.
In a push for a common-sense approach to food, the post said, “The assertions — made in what largely feels like an effort to weigh in on the topic du jour — are so ridiculous, lacking not only in common sense but also in understanding and empathy for the variety of dietary needs many consumers face and budgets they’re balancing.”