Trade association leaders warned grain handlers and processors at the National Grain and Feed Association's (NGFA) 2025 Country Elevator Conference (CEC) the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement represents a growing threat to grain and oilseed demand.
Mike Seyfert, NGFA president and CEO, said during a panel discussion on MAHA and federal nutrition policy that the movement has support from across the political spectrum and continues to gain momentum.
The unusual political coalition driving MAHA — spanning far-right conservatives, self-proclaimed “MAHA moms,” and traditionally left organic food advocates — has already produced unanimous legislative wins in deep red states like Texas and Louisiana, creating what panelists described as an increasingly complex regulatory landscape for agricultural commodities.
Devin Mogler, president and CEO of the National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA), said the stakes for his industry are high. Approximately 25% of the value of every bushel of soybeans is tied to seed oils going into the food supply. With 22 billion pounds of seed oils consumed annually in the US, any significant demand destruction would ripple through the entire soybean complex, Mogler said.
“Our concern is that we get to a place where seed oils become like high fructose corn syrup,” Mogler said, adding that HFCS demand has fallen 30 to 35% since demonization of the ingredient began in the late 1990s.
Mogler said despite NOPA presenting extensive scientific evidence to the White House, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and USDA showing seed oils are safe, nutritious and heart-healthier than saturated fat alternatives, administration officials have remained steadfast with their strategy.
Although, after industry pushback, the administration did remove from its second MAHA report its most pointed criticisms of seed oils — claims about omega-6 to omega-3 ratios causing inflammation and processing reducing phytonutrient content.
Mogler said the administration is now shifting tactics, pursuing a state-by-state strategy similar to the GMO labeling campaigns that eventually forced federal action.
Jane DeMarchi, president of the North American Millers Association (NAMA) provided the milling industry’s perspective, viewing the administration’s goal to reduce the consumption of grain-based foods as detrimental to the demand for their products.
With NAMA members milling 50% of the US wheat crop and the other half going to overseas customers, DeMarchi warned that domestic vilification of grain-based products undermines decades of export market development.
“We can't expect to maintain our export markets if we're denigrating these products at home,” she said.
DeMarchi emphasized the public health implications of moving away from enriched and fortified grain products, citing how enrichment programs that began after World War II have eradicated diseases like beriberi and pellagra from the United States.
Folic acid fortification alone saves more than 1,000 people annually from neural tube defects like spina bifida, DeMarchi said.
State legislation creates regulatory patchwork
Both trade leaders emphasized that state-level action poses an immediate threat. Last year saw 137 bills introduced across state legislatures, with more expected in the 2026 legislative session.
Texas passed legislation requiring warning labels on foods containing ingredients not allowed in Australia or the EU. Louisiana unanimously passed a law requiring restaurants to post warning labels if they cook any food in seed oils. Both bills passed without opposition in states with massive agricultural industries and deep Republican majorities.
Seyfert urged attendees to serve as early warning systems for state legislation.
"If you're catching wind of anything at state houses, please run it up the flagpole," he said. "We don't know everything that's coming."
The panelists delivered closing messages emphasizing both defensive and offensive strategies.
"Seed oils are safe and nutritious and also affordable," Mogler said. "Don't legislate them."
DeMarchi urged attendees to take pride in their work.
"What you do is important, and you should be very proud of the work you do in creating a safe and affordable food system in the US,” DeMarchi said. “That is the message to deliver when you're in DC and also in your state capitols."
