The American Beverage Association (ABA) is taking its ingredient transparency initiative, GoodtoKnowFacts.org, to a new level, announcing a new initiative advancing the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda with an industry-wide design change to the front of every bottle, giving consumers immediate digital access to the GoodToKnowFacts website.
The ABA is building upon its Good to Know initiative announced last year, designed to make it easier for Americans nationwide to know and truly understand exactly what is in the beverages they routinely consume. ABA Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Merideth Potter told Breitbart News exclusively on the day of the website’s launch last year that it was inspired by both consumers and the Trump administration’s MAHA agenda.
This particular expansion, however, helps empower consumers with “easy-to-understand information about the ingredients in their drinks so they can make the decisions that are right for them,” according to the ABA, whose members include popular companies PepsiCo, Keurig Dr Pepper, and The Coca-Cola Company.
Under the new rollout, consumers will be able to scan QR codes on the products which will take them directly to the GoodtoKnowFacts.org database. As Breitbart News reported last year, the database is a user-friendly resource which places 140 beverage ingredients all in one place, making it easier for consumers to see what, exactly, they are consuming.
“With a simple scan, users will be able to directly access complete ingredient safety assessments from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and Health Canada in one place, with assessments from the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives where needed,” according to the ABA’s press release.
“Consumers want greater transparency and deserve to have confidence in the safety of their foods and beverages,” American Beverage President and CEO Kevin Keane said in a statement.
“Transparency means more than simply listing ingredients — it means providing relevant context that helps people understand where specific ingredients are used, what function they serve, and how regulators in different countries view them,” he continued, adding, “By integrating Good to Know into QR codes we’re making it easier than ever for consumers to have clear and reliable information right at their fingertips.”
ABA companies began incorporating the QR codes in 2026 and plan to have them across the market by the end of next year. While this is an effort the industry has been working on, Breitbart News was told it has been accelerated by the Trump administration’s call for more to be done with ingredient transparency.
Several groups have expressed their support of the ABA’s action, noting that this reinforces the reality that change does not have to come from the government, but it can be ushered in by the private sector.
“At the end of the day, parents — not government — are best positioned to make decisions for their families. Initiatives like these QR codes and GoodToKnowFacts.org provide families with more information and more options, empowering them to make choices that reflect their own values and circumstances,” Emily Stack, Senior Director of Policy & Executive Director of Moms for America Action, said in a statement.
She added, “It’s a market-driven approach that supports transparency, personal responsibility, and long-term public health improvements.”
Dr. Vance Ginn, President of Ginn Economic Consulting and former Chief Economist of Trump 45 White House OMB, said that ABA’s QR code transparency initiative serves as a “good reminder that transparency does not have to come from Washington.”
“Consumers want better information about what they buy, and companies that listen will earn their trust,” he said. “This is how markets work: competition pushes businesses to provide more choices, clearer information, and better products. Health is best served by empowering consumers, not by using government mandates to limit their options.”
Dr. Lyle D. Burgoon, a fellow ATS and Founder and President of Science for Healthy Families, said, “As a toxicologist, I believe that protecting public health requires collaboration, not mandates.”
“That’s why improved industry transparency through GoodToKnowFacts.org and the new QR codes roll-out is so important,” Burgoon explained. “America’s food safety system is built on decades of transparency and rigorous scientific review by regulators and independent experts, providing consumers with confidence that food ingredients are evaluated using the best available evidence.”
The ABA’s QR code initiative aligns with several other agendas embraced by ABA companies in pursuit of consumer transparency and demands. The industry worked to deliver more low- and zero-sugar options in their beverages — something Keane spoke about during Breitbart News’s Improving Health, Strengthening the Economy event last October. He explained that the beverage industry was working alongside the Trump administration to address health concerns via private-sector innovation rather than government regulation. Ultimately, Keane said the ABA’s work under the MAHA model “shows how the private sector can step up and solve real problems in a free market way.”
ABA Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Merideth Potter told Breitbart News last year, “We hope others see this as a model that they can follow. We hope lawmakers and regulators see this as industry stepping up and doing the thing that, really, the private sector is well-positioned to do.”
She added, “We’re proud of it, and we hope others join in.”
Read the full article here
