Internal documents surfaced in an investigation published Sept. 30, 2026, by Documented, an investigative watchdog and journalism project, and reporting partners reveal that some of the largest food and agriculture corporations in the United States are bankrolling a campaign. That campaign pays social media influencers to push back on parts of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) platform belonging to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The campaign carries the name GAHA: Growing a Healthier America, echoing the cadence of its rival. The Center for Food Integrity (CFI), an industry-funded nonprofit formed in 2007, built the effort in partnership with its member organizations across farming, agribusiness and food. The group’s stated aim is to re-establish credibility with the public after MAHA gained popularity.
Public sentiment on the issues at the center of MAHA gets tracked by CFI, which then suggests ways agricultural interests can counter those narratives by appealing to emotion or to scientific reasoning. Documents reveal that the coordinated effort keeps a close watch on the movement and researches how to answer its claims without alienating its supporters.
What the Campaign Targets
Seed oils, pesticides, high-fructose corn syrup, regenerative agriculture, organic farming, raw milk and dairy, and “big ag” make up a GAHA target list that leaves little to guesswork.
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. Kelly Leighton, the center’s executive director, said in the video: “Without this coordinated response, that misinformation [from MAHA] risks undermining consumer trust, fueling new regulations and eroding confidence in agriculture as a whole.”
Paid Posts and Influencers
Late 2025 brought the official launch of the GAHA influencer campaign. CFI then put together a report in February that catalogued dozens of sponsored posts about key GAHA subjects on blogs, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.
More than 2.6 million viewers make up the total audience reached by the at least six influencers who have signed on so far. Farmers discussing pesticides or regenerative agriculture — the practice of restoring soil health — appeared in some of the paid posts. Other posts offered a plain explanation of what seed oils are, pushing back against claims that they cause a host of health problems.
Participating influencers described the work as a counterweight to misinformation coming from MAHA proponents, many of whom are themselves paid to promote products in the wellness space.
Recommendations from social media influencers are trusted by 64 percent of consumers, research shows, and that trust often translates into more leads and sales. Oreo saw a 20 percent sales increase within the first quarter through its partnership with prominent food influencers, along with 15 percent growth in brand followers from user-generated content. Research has also linked YouTube influencers to unhealthy eating habits among children, including junk and fast food.
Polling Behind the Worry
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 there is not enough regulation of pesticides used in agriculture, 64 percent, or of chemical food additives, 75 percent.
Democrats long owned the critiques of the food system, from pesticides to processed foods. Many Republicans now hold those views too, after MAHA and President Donald Trump’s embrace of Kennedy. 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.
Who Funds the Center
CFI’s board president is Bryan Malenius, who also serves as director of reputation strategy for public affairs at Chick-fil-A. Senior positions at companies such as Cargill, Dairy Farmers of America and the National Pork Board are held by other board members. Among CFI’s dues-paying members are the American Farm Bureau Federation, several state farm bureaus, CropLife America and the National Restaurant Association.
The American Farm Bureau Federation’s president, Zippy Duvall, used a speech in January 2026 to take credit for bringing industry groups together to form the GAHA coalition.
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.
Kennedy’s ascension to the Cabinet boosted his campaign to end chronic illness in the U.S. He attributes chronic illness primarily to processed foods and dyes, exposure to certain chemicals and poor farming practices, along with an overuse of what he falsely claims are dangerous vaccines.
The MAHA movement blends long-running mainstream concerns about food and farm safety with conspiracy theories about everything from medicine to milk. It also fills rooms: an Eat Real Food rally drew supporters to Brazos Hall in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 26.
