We were required to by the FDA through a warning letter.
We were told our products were misbranded and are unapproved new drugs because of the health claims we made about them, even though our “claims” were quoted and supported by not hundreds, but thousands of published papers with positive results on the NIH.gov website, not including the many independent studies.
At Good Stuff Cacao, we have never added fillers, sugars, oils, preservatives, emulsifiers, dyes, artificial, proprietary, or unlisted ingredients. What you see on our label is what you get in the package---nothing else. EVER. We feel we can’t outdo what God provided for us in nature. We believe in truth, transparency, education, and personal responsibility.
You see, long before my husband and I started Good Stuff Cacao in 2013, we believed and trusted that government food regulations meant the foods on store shelves had already been thoroughly vetted. After both of us developed diet-related health problems that led to surgeries and the loss of organs, we began researching nutrition for ourselves. That experience changed the way we thought about food, ingredients, and transparency. It became the reason we started this company.
What Does the FDA Object To?
The FDA's concern is how companies market their products. So, we, as a company that sells goji berries, for instance, can’t tell you if goji berries- a whole food- will help treat, mitigate or prevent disease. Yet, for 2,000 years, whole foods, like goji berries, have been an important part of health and well-being. Green tea and its ability to heal has been found in records going back 3,000 years! And, especially cacao, has been one of the most researched foods in the world for its long list of benefits.
Perhaps you have seen the many news conferences, hearings, and announcements of changes in the FDA that have been happening under the direction of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy, who has long been an advocate for improving public health and reforming government policy along with many other watchdogs, organizations, advocates and individuals, who have called for changes in nutrition policy.
Are Changes Happening?
The FDA recently updated the definition of "healthy" on food labels to emphasize whole-food dietary patterns rather than isolated nutrients.
The agency, on Jan. 7, 2026, finally changed the food pyramid, that they knew was upside down and had pushed for decades. https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2026/01/07/kennedy-rollins-unveil-historic-reset-us-nutrition-policy-put-real-food-back-center-health
They even published guidance to reduce chronic disease risk, encouraging people to eat fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains and seafood. https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-food-labeling-and-critical-foods/nutrition-information-raw-fruits-vegetables-and-fish
So, the FDA itself recognizes that healthy dietary patterns influence chronic disease risk. And, recently there was an announcement that the FDA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have launched a joint Nutrition Regulatory Science Program and are working in “lockstep” to accelerate nutrition research addressing the nation's diet-related chronic disease crisis. Here is the full statement posted on the FDA website;
May 09, 2025
“Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a new, joint innovative research initiative that will serve as a key element in fulfilling U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s commitment to Make America Healthy Again. With diet-related chronic diseases continually rising, it is imperative that the FDA and NIH work in lockstep to invest in gold standard science, prioritize a better understanding of the root causes to end the diet-related chronic disease crisis and safeguard the health of America’s children.
Under the new Nutrition Regulatory Science Program, the FDA and NIH will implement and accelerate a comprehensive nutrition research agenda that will provide critical information to inform effective food and nutrition policy actions to help make Americans’ food and diets healthier. The initiative will aim to answer questions such as:
How and why can ultra-processed foods harm people’s health?
How might certain food additives affect metabolic health and possibly contribute to chronic disease?”
We hope this leads to meaningful change. Scientific discoveries that have already been made, some thousands of years ago, could have already led to better public health, especially combined with modern medicine. But going back to Rockefeller, corruption got in the way not only in corporations, but in the FDA, as has been revealed multiple times just within the last 2 years.
So Why Our Company?
We are baffled and confused as to why the FDA would come after such a small company as ours, who packages only whole organic foods and minimally processed organic foods, especially when they had just inspected our facility and procedures over a three-day period in March of 2025. At that time, we were told they found nothing wrong. No letters, no warnings, no infractions.
Is it a coincidence that several months ago we heard food technology companies and major candy corporations are actively developing lab-grown cell-cultured “fake” cocoa products to combat soaring crop prices?
Prices did soar back in 2024 when we were told by our broker that the situation was “dire” and that, since our last order, prices had gone up 250% ! Devastated, and as such a small wholesale company, we had to consider if we were going to close shop. However, many of our loyal customers encouraged us to hang on, and so we did. And, this came after we were still recovering from so many of our stores closing because of COVID restrictions that were subsequently deemed unnecessary. Later we were told that the price surge was not due to true shortages, but created by large manufacturers and the Netherlands. Was this to prepare the public to accept fake cacao?
We Believe There Should Be Truth and Transparency.
We believe that, to make informed decisions, consumers deserve access to truthful scientific information about whole foods, minimally processed foods, and ultra-processed foods.
We also believe, and INSIST, that government agencies should be transparent, and remain accountable to the American people. “Science” has been notorious for directing “evidence” in the way they want it to go, instead of just doing honest science, and follow the evidence wherever it leads. Imagine where we would be if they had just done that in the first place or at the very least let the public have the freedom to decide which companies they can trust and which ones are “snake oil” salesmen.
Currently, FDA regulations strictly limit what food companies may say about disease, even when thousands of published scientific studies exist. So, until those regulations change, we encourage every customer to PLEASE read the original scientific literature -Don't take our word for it - read the science for yourself. Go to National Institutes of Health (NIH.gov) or visit goodstuffcacao.com/research.
We Aren’t Being Political or Flippant.
We Take This Very Seriously
We have taken a great deal of time to do even more research as we relabel our packaging. But we are struggling to keep our packaging statements compliant while also wanting to help people understand that the foods we choose to eat matter. The FDA limits the truth about WHOLE FOODS and MINIMALLY processed foods, while at the same time allowing fake eggs, fake meat, unlimited, and unmonitored G.R.A.S. ingredients, and ingredients like dyes that they know cause multiple diseases that other governments around the world do not allow. But the truth is there are whole foods and minimally processed foods that do heal, treat, mitigate and prevent disease. The FDA knows this now and has known this for decades. But we are not allowed to say anything on our packaging that even alludes to those words, or words like; help, fight, lower, reduce, increase, or improve. While the FDA is fine with foods and companies that don’t make any claims about their product and are actually causing harm.
Most companies just quietly comply, maybe that’s been the problem.
We have been told that if we continue selling products that regulators determine violate the law, the government may seek an injunction, revoke our license, and refer the matter for criminal prosecution. They have the power, we do not. So, we must take it seriously. But it is not just the threat of losing our company. We feel they have accused us of misleading people, and that, we take very seriously. We were misled when we both lost organs that we did not need to lose. Doctors never even suggested that we change our diet-- they are purposely not taught nutrition and therefore most of them do not believe that diet will make any difference. We don’t want that to happen to others.
We have experienced the benefits of a nutrient-rich diet personally and within our own families. And because we are wholesalers and have relationships with hundreds of health food stores, fresh markets, health coaches, and chiropractors, we have also heard countless testimonies from people who believe whole and minimally processed foods have helped them recover from or reduce the effects of diet-related chronic illnesses.
Nutrition should be the first step in disease treatment. Of course, there are emergencies, I am not in any way denying that the medical world can help in those circumstances. Emergency medicine saves lives every day. But other than accidents and sudden events, how did the patient reach the point of suffering a stroke, heart failure, or diabetic shock in the first place? And, yes, blame can rest on the individual, too-- but only if they know.
Our Disappointments Are Our Motivation
Our hearts truly break for the number of people, especially young adults, who are on multiple medications and suffering from chronic, diet-related illnesses. Yet, many won't change their diets. It has been said that food addiction can be harder to overcome than drugs or alcohol. Many people don't even realize they are addicted because, after all, you have to eat.
We know many, including family, who don’t see a problem with eating junk and then taking medications to overcome the results of poor eating habits. What they might not see is how long they will be on medications, what further harm being on medications long term will do and what continuing in that pattern will eventually lead to. We live in a free country and people can choose, yes. But ultra-processed food is so cheap, heavily marketed and found literally everywhere you turn. Fast food is on nearly every corner. Children’s lunch programs are nothing but processed food, and even the “fresh” food is loaded with chemicals. So, are people “choosing” or are they so heavily influenced it begins to take choice away?
The FDA provides a chart that can be put up showing what nutrition is in vegetables or beans, but if people aren’t taught what those nutrients can do for you, then what good is it? Instead, more and more commercials pop up advertising more and more drugs to “fix” problems. Where is the government then?? Where are the insurance companies?? Where is our education system??
Have you ever wondered why healthy foods are often more expensive and harder to find? We can't help but wonder whether it's more than just the result of fair competition. In the U.S. 400 to 500 people died from measles each year and they created a vaccine to prevent it. Every year 678,000 to 1 million Americans die from chronic, diet-related illnesses like heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Yet, we can't tell you what foods can help—especially with prevention. There is too much profit in pharmaceuticals. We truly believe there is truth in the old adage, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.”
Choosing healthier foods often takes more effort, more planning, and more money. At Good Stuff Cacao, we have always wanted to make GOOD food convenient. We've also worked hard to keep our prices as affordable as possible so more people can enjoy foods we believe are truly good for them.
We hope this has helped you understand why our labels are changing, why we have taken this stand, and why we cannot quietly comply.
Please—we want to hear from you. Let us know what YOU think.
Barbara,
President and Owner
Good Stuff Cacao