Real sugar aligns with a growing desire for simpler, more natural foods

When it comes to what goes on our kids’ lunch trays, parents are clear: they want meals that are clean, natural and free from chemical additives. Now, with SB 117 and SB 14 moving through the 2025 Louisiana legislative session, lawmakers are beginning to listen. These bills mirror a national push to get ultra-processed food out of school cafeterias, including artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

Right now, there are six artificial sweeteners in the United States food supply: aspartame, acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), advantame, neotame, saccharin and sucralose. And according to new data from The Sugar Association, most of the public doesn’t want any of them in their children’s meals. A national survey shows 85% of Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) supporters and 75% of all Americans believe these sweeteners have no place in school food. That’s an overwhelming, bipartisan call to action.

Consumers are also paying close attention to how these ingredients are categorized. More than three-quarters of MAHA supporters – and over half of all Americans – consider artificial sweeteners to be chemical additives. That is why the League publicly supported amendments in both SB 117 and SB 14 to officially classify them as “ultra-processed” in both bills.

There’s another compelling data point here: Only 16% of consumers cutting back on added sugars turn to artificial sweeteners. In other words, the American public isn’t asking for more chemicals on their plates, they are asking for clean labels and natural ingredients. That includes real sugar from sugarcane and sugarbeets, which many people still see as an important part of a balanced food system.

For the past two decades, public health policy has focused on reducing added sugars, but the substitute has been a surge of artificial sweeteners. The result? Obesity rates continue to rise, while per capita sugar consumption continues to fall. That’s right, contrary to popular belief, according to the latest National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, added sugar consumption has fallen by more than 30% since the year 2000. Trust in the food system has eroded. Misinformation about real sugar abounds. It is time for a smarter approach.

The MAHA movement isn’t anti-sugar, it is anti-industrial additives. Nearly 90% of MAHA supporters agree that real sugar, with its role as a natural preservative and functional ingredient, belongs in a cleaner, healthier food system.

As Louisiana debates SB 117 and SB 14, the conversation about what’s best for our schools and our food supply is about more than calories. It’s about quality, transparency and giving parents what they’ve asked for all along. It’s time to take this bill one step further, because families, farmers and food producers all deserve better.