'This is killing our children': Panic as food industry uses MAHA to weaken rules

Source: Travis Gettys

Travis Gettys is a senior editor for Raw Story, based in northern Kentucky, with prior experience as a web editor for WLWT-TV, contributing writer for the Kentucky Enquirer, and writer for the award-winning Sadly, No! blog. He has covered national, state, local politics, breaking news, criminal investigations, trials, sports, and community issues. No fact-checking ratings or documented accuracy scores are available for his work or Raw Story.

Source: Raw Story

Raw Story positions itself as an investigative news outlet with a history of scoops and awards in areas like domestic extremism and congressional conflicts, but lacks ratings from independent fact-checkers like AllSides or Media Bias/Fact Check. User reviews on Google Play praise its depth but criticize poor grammar, misspellings, and professionalism, despite a 4.7/5 average. Heavy reliance on aggregated content and sensational anti-Trump headlines to drive subscriptions raises questions about editorial rigor.

Source: Raw Story

Raw Story publishes a mix of independent reporting, syndicated articles, and aggregated material, focusing on news downplayed by mainstream media. It has won awards for investigative journalism on topics like domestic extremism and congressional conflicts, and claims to have scooped major outlets. App reviews average 4.7 stars, though some criticize errors undermining credibility.

Source Credibility

Raw Story, the publisher, has a documented progressive/left-leaning bias with a strong anti-Trump and anti-Republican slant, often using sensationalist phrasing; author Travis Gettys focuses on progressive issues like racial justice and right-wing extremism.

Readers should know the outlet's incentives favor critical coverage of Trump/MAHA initiatives, potentially amplifying anti-industry narratives while downplaying supportive elements.

Emotional Manipulation

Sensational title "'This is killing our children': Panic as food industry uses MAHA to weaken rules" and prominent quote from Lawrence Gostin "This is killing our children" and "Congress should be ashamed," paired with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz comparing industry to tobacco.

Creates moral panic framing industry/Republicans/Congress as child-endangering, evoking outrage over policy nuance like preemption vs. patchwork.

unverified_claim

Attributes quote to Lawrence Gostin: “The truth is, the amount of money... far more than tobacco — and maybe more than tobacco ever has,” “This is killing our children,” “and Congress should be ashamed of itself.”

If unverified, undermines credibility of key emotional testimony; presents expert consensus without sourcing.

Source Credibility

Source asymmetry/stacking: Quotes only critics (Gostin, Wasserman Schultz D-FL, Gremillion of Consumer Federation); no industry, MAHA proponents, or GOP voices.

Implies consensus against industry/Trump approach, hiding debate over federal preemption standardizing vs. state patchwork burdens.

Missing Context

Under Trump admin/MAHA, USDA approved SNAP waivers allowing 22+ states (e.g., Florida) to restrict soda/candy purchases with benefits, with 5 states implementing Jan 2026; states enacted 10 laws on additives by mid-2025 amid 93 bills in 35 states.

Counters narrative of total industry "stranglehold" and MAHA "not doing much," showing state-level MAHA successes and admin support for restrictions despite failed federal amendment.

Missing Context

Food industry groups like Americans for Ingredient Transparency (backed by Coca-Cola etc.) lobby for national standards to preempt "patchwork" of 93 bills in 35 states, arguing uniform federal rules ease compliance vs. varying state bans.

Omits industry rationale, framing as pure "regulatory relief" to "weaken rules" rather than standardize amid aggressive state action (e.g., CA UPF school ban).

Framing

Caption on RFK/Trump photo: "claims which are not backed by decades of science"; frames press conference as pseudoscience without noting it's reporting their announcement.

Author inserts judgment in caption, biasing image of MAHA leaders before article body.

Factual Error

Claims lawmakers suppressed FTC junk food marketing report "since 2014"; implies ongoing block of a specific report.

Misrepresents: 2012 report existed; 2014 Dem letter urged follow-up, FTC had no plans; no evidence of post-2014 suppression of a new report.

unverified_claim

Quotes Georgetown prof Lawrence Gostin: "amount of money... far more than tobacco," "This is killing our children," "Congress should be ashamed"—presented as expert testimony from Politico interview.

Bolsters emotional core without verification, risks fabricating authority for anti-industry/MAHA critique.

Factual Error

"block the release of a Federal Trade Commission report on junk food marketing to children—a document lawmakers have suppressed since 2014."

Misleads on suppression: 2012 FTC report public; 2014 Dem letter urged new data collection, FTC declined plans—no ongoing "suppressed document."

Missing Context

93 food additive bills introduced in 35 states (10 enacted by mid-2025, e.g., CA UPF school ban, WV dye ban); industry lobbies for federal standards to avoid "patchwork" compliance costs.

Omits context for preemption push—not just "weaken rules" but standardize amid aggressive state action MAHA accelerated.