Over the past few months, the food industry has sent a clear message.  Healthier, simpler, and more nutritious products are no longer niche — they’re the future, and they’re smart business.

With the arrival of new Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the recently released Make Our Children Healthy Again Report, and the drive to “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA), companies are already demonstrating a proactive drive to get ahead of government intervention in, and influence on, industry decision-making.

The MAHA Report outlines root causes of Americans’ steep rise in chronic health conditions: industrially manufactured food products.  This means increased caloric intake — not to mention an astounding nearly 70% of American children’s calories.

Forward-thinking companies are reading the tea leaves and voluntarily making changes to ingredient profiles, additives, and other characteristics aligned with evolving consumer priorities.  Several key moments throughout 2025 highlight just how much momentum this new approach has generated.

First, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol pledged to “further MAHA the menu,” embracing better-for-you pastries, new cold foam options, and stricter ingredient standards, including the elimination of high-fructose corn syrup.

Second, Coca-Cola announced that it would begin to offer its classic Coke formulation in the U.S., made with raw cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup.

Third, Kraft Heinz and General Mills both committed to making positive changes in their U.S. products that reflect growing public demand for cleaner labels and simpler ingredients.

And finally, French dairy leader Lactalis recently acquired General Mills’ U.S. yogurt business, a move that reflects not just timely corporate strategy, but a bet on what American consumers want: healthy snacks.  By acquiring this business and committing to invest in innovation alongside local manufacturing facilities, Lactalis is expanding its footprint and demonstrating long-term confidence in U.S. consumers and the direction they’re heading.

The transaction puts Lactalis USA in the top three in the U.S. yogurt market based on market share and well positions the company to serve U.S. consumers.

With the MAHA revolution increasing consumers’ awareness about ultra-processed foods, Americans are looking at ingredient lists, comparing nutrition panels, and choosing options that align with their health goals.  This shift is particularly striking when you consider how much the snacking landscape has changed.  For decades, convenience won out over content.  But now consumers are more informed, more vocal, and more willing to put their money where their values are.

Yogurt sits at the center of this evolution.  It’s versatile, portable, affordable, and packed with potential — from gut-healthy probiotics to calcium, Vitamin D, and high-quality protein.  As more people move away from empty calories and toward foods that serve a purpose, yogurt’s role in the American diet is only growing.

The private sector is responding to President Donald Trump’s and Secretary Kennedy’s prioritization of higher nutrition standards — major food companies are now proactively reformulating products, and a shared vision is beginning to emerge.  Healthier, more transparent food is now both good policy and good business.

At its core, this moment isn’t about politics or pledges.  It’s about an industry waking up to the fact that food should serve people better.  Functional foods, cleaner ingredient lists, and snacks with real substance are gaining ground because they meet people where they are — seeking balance, convenience, and better choices.

For Lactalis, the yogurt acquisition is a natural fit.  It complements a portfolio already centered on real dairy, protein, and nutrition.  While it’s too early to say exactly how Lactalis’s newly acquired yogurt lineup will evolve, the commitment is clear: Keep delivering products people trust and raise the bar where possible.

If 2025 is remembered for anything in the food world, it might be this: the time the U.S. food economy began to move decisively toward a healthier future — one investment, and one snack, at a time.

Brian Marriott is a former presidential appointee at the Federal Communications Commission under President George W. Bush and at the Department of Health and Human Services under President Donald J. Trump (2017–2021).

Image via Pexels.