The Make America Healthy Again Commission today released the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy, a sweeping plan with more than 120 initiatives to reverse the failed policies that fueled America’s childhood chronic disease epidemic. The strategy outlines targeted executive actions to advance gold-standard science, realign incentives, increase public awareness, and strengthen private-sector collaboration.
Chaired by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Commission is tasked with investigating and addressing the root causes of America’s escalating health crisis, with a focus on childhood chronic diseases.
“The Trump Administration is mobilizing every part of government to confront the childhood chronic disease epidemic,” Secretary Kennedy said. “This strategy represents the most sweeping reform agenda in modern history—realigning our food and health systems, driving education, and unleashing science to protect America’s children and families. We are ending the corporate capture of public health, restoring transparency, and putting gold-standard science—not special interests—at the center of every decision.”
“Today’s MAHA Commission report is another historic milestone for our country and a testament to President Trump’s leadership and commitment to Make America Healthy Again,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins. “America’s farmers and ranchers are at the heart of the solution — alongside doctors, parents, and communities – to fight chronic disease and protect future generations. Under this Administration, we are not just talking about healthy outcomes; we are delivering them by securing voluntary commitments to remove artificial food dye from major brands, providing technical assistance to States interested in restricting junk food and soda from SNAP, and providing growers with new tools to maintain and improve soil health, including the introduction of a regenerative farming practice pilot program. Together with our partners at HHS and EPA, we are charting a new course, strengthening the health of our families, and ensuring the United States leads the world with the safest, strongest, and most abundant food supply.”
Key Focus Areas of the Strategy:
Restoring Science & Research: Expanding NIH and agency research into chronic disease prevention, nutrition and metabolic health, food quality, environmental exposures, autism, gut microbiome, precision agriculture, rural and tribal health, vaccine injury, and mental health.
Historic Executive Actions: Reforming dietary guidelines; defining ultra-processed foods; improving food labeling; closing the GRAS loophole; raising infant formula standards; removing harmful chemicals from the food supply; increasing oversight and enforcement of direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising laws; improving food served in schools, hospitals, and to veterans; and reforming Medicaid quality metrics to measure health outcomes.
Process Reform & Deregulation: Streamlining organic certification; easing barriers to farm-to-school programs and direct-to-consumer sales; restoring whole milk in schools; supporting mobile grocery and processing units; modernizing FDA drug and device approval; and accelerating EPA approvals for innovative agricultural products.
Public Awareness & Education: Launching school-based nutrition and fitness campaigns, Surgeon General initiatives on screen time, prioritizing pediatric mental health, and expanding access to reliable nutrition and health information for parents.
Private Sector Collaboration: Promoting awareness of healthier meals at restaurants, soil health and land stewardship, and community-led initiatives, and scaling innovative solutions to address root causes of chronic disease.
Ag Industry Reaction
American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said that AFBF appreciates “the commission’s willingness to meet with farmers across the country, hear our concerns and develop smart solutions. Those of us involved in the food system look forward to being fully engaged with the commission, and policymakers at all levels, to ensure a full understanding of the scope and intention of the recommendations and impact on our food supply chain.”
“Farmers and ranchers share the goal of improving health outcomes in America, and they are dedicated to growing safe, nutritious and affordable food for America’s families,” Duvall said. “Healthy meals start with healthy farms, and we appreciate the report’s recognition of the vital role farmers play in the food supply chain.”
“A renewed focus on American-grown fresh fruits, vegetables and meat, along with reintroducing whole milk into the school meal programs can help provide a foundation for a lifetime of smart choices,” Duvall continued. “Reducing or streamlining regulations in smart ways can allow farms operating on very thin margins to innovate, diversify and respond to consumer demand. Prioritizing voluntary conservation efforts for farmers and ranchers and optimizing EPA’s already robust pesticide regulatory process to accelerate innovation are welcome recommendations.”
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association welcomed the release of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission’s second report. In May, the MAHA Commission’s first report highlighted the positive role beef plays in a healthy diet. The second report expanded on the benefits of high-quality protein like beef and the critical role cattle producers play in helping make America healthy again.
“From every angle, it is tough to beat American beef. Our farmers and ranchers raise the best beef in the world, providing a healthy, fresh protein option to millions of families every day,” said NCBA President and cattle producer Buck Wehrbein. “We responsibly steward millions of acres of land, water, and wildlife habitat, including some of America’s most cherished landscapes and species. We pump lifeblood into the local economies of tens of thousands of communities across the rural American heartland. No matter how you look at it, American beef is the perfect fit for the MAHA Commission’s goals.”
“This report confirms the science-based recommendation that making America healthy again has to start with safe, nutritious, fresh, whole-ingredient and American beef hits the target on all of the above,” said NCBA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. “As this administration has pointed out before, beef is the crown jewel of American agriculture. Millions of American families build a healthy plate around our product every week. We will continue working with President Trump’s administration to keep the supply chain moving and keep the safest, highest quality beef in the world on grocery store shelves.”
The National Association of Wheat Growers responded by emphasizing the essential role of crop protection tools in sustainable wheat production and reaffirming the nutritional value of enriched and refined grain products in the American diet.
“American wheat farmers rely on safe and effective crop protection tools to ensure a stable and abundant supply of wheat, a cornerstone of our nation’s food security. These tools are essential for managing pests, diseases, and weeds, which directly impact yield and quality. Without them, our farmers would face significant challenges in meeting the demand for wheat, ultimately affecting consumers through higher prices and reduced availability,” said Pat Clements NAWG President. “We urge the MAHA Commission to recognize the critical balance between agricultural productivity and environmental stewardship, and to support policies that enable farmers to continue producing the food, fuel, and fiber our country needs. Farmers are stewards of the land, and we need the flexibility to use the best tools available to meet growing demand while preserving natural resources.”
NAWG also addressed concerns raised in the Commission’s framing of enriched and refined grains as “ultra-processed,” cautioning against broad generalizations that misrepresent their value in a healthy diet.
“Enriched and refined grains—like bread, pasta, and cereals—are important sources of fiber, iron, folic acid, and other essential nutrients for millions of Americans,” said Clements. “These foods are often fortified to help fill key nutrient gaps, especially in underserved populations. The evidence simply does not support the idea that these grain products, when consumed as part of a balanced diet, are harmful to health.”
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USDA/AFBF/NCBA/NAWG
