The Department of Health and Human Services’ Make America Healthy Again Commission released its Make American Children Healthy Again report Tuesday with 128 recommendations on a broad range of topics including chronic disease, poor nutrition and exposure to chemicals.
The 72-page report faced criticisms that mirror critiques made in August, when a draft of the report was leaked to the public. Specifically, critics argue that the report lacks sufficient details on how the administration aims to accomplish its goals.
“I’m grateful that a lot of these 128 recommendations are things that I’ve been dreaming about my whole life,” HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr said Tuesday.
The report comes in the shadow of last week’s contentious Senate Finance Committee hearing, where Kennedy was grilled by both Democrats and Republicans for firing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez.
Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, also faced heavy criticism for sacking the entire Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a 17-member CDC advisory panel of vaccine experts, in June.
The MAHA report argues four drivers behind the rise in chronic diseases include:
- Poor diet: Ultra-processed foods contribute to obesity, diabetes and other chronic conditions.
- Aggregation of environmental chemicals: Synthetic chemicals are linked to developmental issues and chronic disease.
- Lack of physical activity and chronic stress: Children are sick due to inactivity, screen use, sleep deprivation and stress.
- Overmedicalization: Children are overprescribed medication “often driven by conflicts of interest in medical research, regulation and practice.”
The sickest generation
The report reiterated oft-made claims by Kennedy that US children are sicker now than they have been in the nation’s history, adding that the US spends two to three times as much on healthcare as countries in Europe but have worse outcomes.
The report claims that US children are over-medicalized, and both the US food and agricultural systems have embraced synthetic chemicals and ultra-processed ingredients.
“Coupled with rising screen addiction and sedentary lifestyles, these factors are converging to produce a chronically stressed, sick and isolated generation,” the report stated.
Kennedy and the MAHA movement have targeted ultra-processed foods and pesticides as two of the biggest culprits in making Americans sick. But the report gave few details on new reforms the administration would pursue to prohibit either.
“More than 8 billion pounds of pesticides are used each year in food systems around the
world, with the US accounting for roughly 11%, or more than one billion pounds,” the study noted.
The report said the Department of Agriculture and EPA will partner with the private sector to invest in new approaches and technologies to achieve a more highly targeted and precise application of pesticides.
“This can support increased crop productivity and reduce the total amount of pesticides needed. These partnerships should focus on precision application methods, including targeted drone applications, computer-assisted targeted spray technology, robotic monitoring and related innovations.” the report noted.
The report promised further study on ultra-processed foods, but stopped short of banning products other than petroleum-based food dyes. The USDA, HHS and FDA will work to develop a “government-wide definition for ultra-processed food to support potential future research and policy activity.”
Although the report provided no new information on the Food and Drug Administration’s ban on petroleum-based food dyes – Red Dye No 3 is on the chopping block early next year, and six others are targeted for elimination by the end of 2026 – it noted that the USDA and HHS will develop policies to support production of plants that can be used as a natural source of food coloring.
Front-of-package (FOP) labeling was also among the reforms promised in the report, referencing the FDA’s proposal, released in January, to require products include nutrition information, such as sodium, saturated fat and sugar content, on the front of the package. The FDA said FOP labeling is gaining popularity in countries around the world and would empower consumers to pursue healthier foods.
SNAP changes championed
Kennedy praised the changes coming to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food benefits for some 34 million Americans.
The program has come under scrutiny from the Trump administration. The federal budget bill signed in July cut $186 billion in SNAP spending over the next decade, and the administration has encouraged states to ban sugary drinks and snacks from eligibility.
Half a dozen states have already approved banning sugary drinks, sweets and in some cases both, and at least six more have received approval for similar restrictions.
“We have an epidemic on our hands in all states, blue and red, to innovate and put the nutrition back in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said at the press conference on Tuesday.
Mixed reactions
The report’s release was met with skepticism by some organizations and praise by others.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group based in Washington, DC, issued a scathing rebuke of the MAHA report, calling it a “hodgepodge of half-baked science and the Secretary’s pet peeves.”
“For the most part, the final MAHA report issued today will bring a collective sigh of relief in food industry boardrooms, since it leans heavily in the direction of government deregulation, voluntary corporate action, and research likely to be decimated under the President’s proposed budget,” CSPI President Dr Peter G Lurie said in a prepared statement. “The report ignores the actual causes of chronic diseases and proven interventions, and the administration’s actions are otherwise making Americans hungrier, sicker, and less safe.”
FMI – The Food Industry AssociationPresident and CEO Leslie G Sarasin also released a statement reaffirming its commitment to work with the administration on health initiatives.
“FMI shares the administration’s commitment to making Americans healthier. We agree that nutrition and food as medicine play foundational roles in health and we are proud to be a critical part of this effort,” Sarasin said. “Some key steps our members are taking include expanding access to more affordable produce, supporting families receiving SNAP and WIC benefits and offering healthier choices in every aisle.”
The American Heart Association gave its own take on the report, releasing a list of recommendations, such as urging the administration to prioritize research on food is medicine approaches to improve health.
The statement also voiced the association’s concern over cuts to public health programs like SNAP and Medicaid.
“We have long supported federal policies and programs including SNAP, WIC, school meals, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to address chronic disease and improve public health. We advocate for strengthening nutrition standards in federal food programs and support efforts to remove sugary drinks from SNAP, while also expanding incentive programs that make fruits and vegetables more affordable and accessible,” the association wrote.
AHA continued: “We remain concerned that the more than $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and SNAP contained in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act – combined with the administration’s proposed cuts to other nutrition programs – will reduce access to healthy foods and critical health care services for the very families who need these supports the most.”
