Internal documents surfaced in an investigation published Sept. 30, 2026, by Documented, an investigative watchdog and journalism project, along with its reporting partners, show that some of the largest food and agriculture corporations in the U.S. are bankrolling a campaign that pays social media influencers to push back on parts of the Make America Healthy Again platform.
MAHA is the platform of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The industry answer to it carries a name that borrows its rival’s cadence: GAHA, or Growing a Healthier America.
The Center for Food Integrity (CFI), an industry-funded nonprofit formed in 2007, built GAHA in partnership with its member organizations across farming, agribusiness and food. The group says the campaign aims to re-establish credibility with the public after MAHA gained popularity.
Inside the GAHA Playbook
Public sentiment on the issues at the center of MAHA gets tracked by the center, which then suggests ways agricultural interests can counter those narratives, either by appealing to emotion or to scientific reasoning. Documents show the coordinated effort is monitoring the movement closely and researching how to answer its claims without alienating its supporters.
The target topic list runs through seed oils, pesticides, high-fructose corn syrup, regenerative agriculture, organic farming, raw milk and dairy, and “big ag.”
In a July 2025 training video, the center laid out its ambition of an “echo chamber” among food and agriculture industry groups, all behind the same message.
“Without this coordinated response, that misinformation [from MAHA] risks undermining consumer trust, fueling new regulations and eroding confidence in agriculture as a whole,” Kelly Leighton, the Center for Food Integrity’s executive director, said in the training video.
Six Influencers, Millions of Viewers
The GAHA influencer campaign officially launched in late 2025. A February report from the center cataloged dozens of sponsored posts on blogs, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram about key GAHA subjects. Six influencers at least have signed on so far, and their combined audience tops 2.6 million viewers.
Farmers appeared in some paid posts to talk about pesticides or regenerative agriculture, the practice of restoring soil health. Other posts simply explained what seed oils are, countering claims that they cause a host of health problems.
Influencers who participated described the work as a counterweight to misinformation from MAHA proponents. Many MAHA proponents are themselves paid to promote products in the wellness space.
Consumers trust social media influencer recommendations at a rate of 64 percent, research shows, and that trust often translates into more leads and sales. Prominent food influencers partnering with Oreo delivered a 20 percent sales increase within the first quarter, plus 15 percent growth in brand followers from user-generated content. Children’s unhealthy eating habits, including junk and fast food, have also been linked by research to YouTube influencers.
Why the Industry Is Worried
About four in 10 U.S. adults say they support the MAHA movement, according to a KFF survey conducted in May 2026. In the same survey, majorities said regulation falls short on pesticides used in agriculture, 64 percent; and on chemical food additives, 75 percent.
Democrats long owned critiques of the food system, from pesticides to processed foods. Many Republicans have since adopted those views, with MAHA and President Donald Trump’s embrace of Kennedy driving the shift. The food industry’s bottom line faces a threat from that cross-partisan support in Washington, even though the Trump administration has largely stopped short of enacting new regulations.
Kennedy’s campaign to end chronic illness in the U.S. gained momentum from his ascension to the Cabinet. Processed foods and dyes, exposure to certain chemicals and poor farming practices draw his blame for chronic illness above all, as does an overuse of what he falsely claims are dangerous vaccines. Conspiracy theories about everything from medicine to milk sit alongside long-running mainstream concerns about food and farm safety in the MAHA movement.
It also draws crowds. An Eat Real Food rally brought supporters to Brazos Hall in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 26.
Who Is Behind CFI
Bryan Malenius, the center’s board president, also serves as director of reputation strategy for public affairs at Chick-fil-A. Companies such as Cargill, Dairy Farmers of America and the National Pork Board employ other board members in senior positions.
Dues-paying members of the center include the American Farm Bureau Federation, several state farm bureaus, CropLife America and the National Restaurant Association.
Zippy Duvall, the American Farm Bureau Federation’s president, took credit for bringing industry groups together to form the GAHA coalition during a speech in January 2026.
Not Every Brand Pushes Back
Steak ’n Shake appointed a chief MAHA officer to promote healthier fast food, betting on alignment rather than rebuttal.
A MAHA summit in Washington featured Vice President JD Vance and several members of Trump’s Cabinet. During one exchange at the summit, Vance dodged a question from Kennedy about ice cream.
