President Trump has a famous affinity for Diet Coke, which uses aspartame, a low-calorie artificial sweetener. He has reinstalled a button on the Oval Office desk that alerts White House staff when he wants a fresh can of Diet Coke.

None of the changes involved an enforcement or regulatory action. Rather Trump and Robert F Kennedy Jr, his secretary of health and human services, have cajoled, convinced or cornered these companies into signing up to their “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.