Aug. 18, 2025:
A draft of the upcoming MAHA report seen by the New York Times will not propose direct restrictions on ultra-processed foods and pesticides that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., called “major threats.”
If it is adopted, the report on the health of America’s children will be good news for the food and agriculture industries, which feared much more restrictive proposals than the ones currently outlined in the draft. Kennedy, the Health and Human Services Secretary, has sought to change the nation’s diet by pushing the industries to make major changes through his “Make America Healthy Again” movement.
The New York Times said industry regulators will work with ag stakeholders to make sure the public is aware of and confident in existing pesticide review procedures. However, it also said the administration will back research on technologies to help farmers reduce pesticide use and on the health impacts on the public.
July 18, 2025:
The Trump administration says there won’t be a crackdown on pesticide use in the U.S. Politico says that’s despite a report from the Make America Healthy Again Committee that called crop protection products dangerous to people’s health. During a recent policy roundtable in Washington, D.C., seven out of the ten speakers mentioned how important pesticides and fertilizers are in modern agricultural production systems. Agriculture industry lobbyists have been pushing back against the Make America Healthy Again Committee report, which linked pesticides to cancer and other diseases. A White House official, speaking anonymously to Politico, says a plan for acting on that report is due in August and won’t include new policies on pesticide use. The promise may signal the White House is eager to smooth out trouble spots with farmers and farm groups that have typically supported the administration but felt alienated by plans to overhaul the nation’s food supply.
June 20, 2025:
258 food and agriculture groups representing millions of American farmers, ranchers, producers, and manufacturers sent a letter calling on the Make America Healthy Again Commission to create greater transparency and input in the commission’s activities. The groups raised concerns that the erroneous representations about food and agriculture, as well as the poor evidence used to support those findings, could have been avoided if there had been greater opportunities for stakeholders to participate and provide input to the commission.
“The unintended consequences of making uninformed decisions for U.S. food production based on misinformation or unproven theories would be sweeping for our nation’s farmers,” the groups warned. “It has been discovered many of the studies referenced to support erroneous claims significantly misrepresented their findings or in some cases are entirely nonexistent.”
To prevent future misrepresentations and errors, the groups specifically call for formal inclusion of food and agriculture representatives in the commission’s processes moving forward, as well as the opportunity for public comment on all future reports and activities.
The groups appreciate the administration holding ongoing listening sessions with some food and agriculture groups, which is a step in the right direction. However, it remains unclear how these listening sessions will instruct the commission’s work, or if there will be opportunities for stakeholders to provide additional ideas or evidence to help improve health outcomes for Americans.
The MAHA Commission currently has a report on policy recommendations based on the first report due in mid-August. The groups are hopeful there will be more formal processes for input established prior to the next report’s development and release.
May 23, 2025:
Agriculture groups are providing comments about the MAHA Commission Report released May 22, 2025, by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The National Sorghum Producers acknowledges the realities of America’s health challenges and appreciates the report’s recognition that farmers will be an integral part of solving that issue. Sorghum is a nutrient-dense, U.S.-grown grain that is part of improving American diets. However, NSP is concerned about the implications regarding crop protection tools, including some of the most studied products in the world.
“As a farmer raising my kids on the land we work every day, I support MAHA’s efforts to build healthier futures for our children,” said NSP Chair Amy France, a farmer from Scott City, Kan. “That’s why we rely on crop protection tools that have undergone extensive scientific study and are used responsibly to protect both our farms and our families. It’s disappointing that the report casts doubt on these products despite clear scientific proof of their safety.”
“The White House’s endorsement of a report that undermines confidence in the EPA and USDA regulatory system is deeply concerning,” said NSP Past Chair Craig Meeker, a farmer from Wellington, Kan. “This kind of messaging drives fear, not facts and it plays right into the hands of trial lawyers looking to profit. It risks driving up food costs and taking away safe, effective tools that have been rigorously reviewed by both Republican and Democratic administrations for more than 50 years. We urge President Trump to include farmers in future discussions.”
NSP encourages the Commission, as it continues in its work, to focus on sound and repeatable scientific data and studies to drive its actions and stands ready to support them in this endeavor.
National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) President Duane Stateler, a pork producer from McComb, Ohio, released the following statement on the ‘Make American Healthy Again’ (MAHA) Commission report.
“U.S. pork producers are proud to provide a safe and nutrient-dense protein for all Americans, and we support honest efforts to continuously improve our nation’s health and prosperity. Like others in farming and agriculture, we agree that nutritious, healthy, safe, and affordable protein from meat should be widely accessible so everyone can achieve the basic needs of a balanced diet. Filling our nation’s protein gap is critical, especially for those focused on food insecurity and improving the health of our nation.
“Efforts that not only exclude agriculture’s input, but also undermine the work of farmers serving our nation, are misguided and detrimental to all who care about facts and truth. Inflammatory rhetoric and distortions, meant to galvanize attention to achieve particular ideological outcomes, are harmful and undermine the world-class safety and reliability of the American food system. We urge extreme caution and recognize this as a moment for leadership that not only fosters and maintains trust in the foods we consume but also defends farmers against unwarranted and unfounded attacks.
“Our current system of producing food at scale for a vast and growing nation has unleashed prosperity and opportunity from coast to coast, and it is built on the strength of the shrinking number of us who continue to farm. Right now, it is vital for policy makers, members of Congress, and executive branch officials to ensure that America’s food security – and farm families like mine – remain strong, vibrant, and lasting.
“We urge President Trump to support America’s farmers, who use modern practices to feed 98% of the population. We implore this administration to ensure farmers have a seat at the table when discussions and decisions impacting our livelihoods are made. On behalf of my fellow 60,000+ pork producers and our commitment to continuous improvement, we stand ready and willing to assist and partner in transparent, risk-based research to further the health of our nation.”
“The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives acknowledges today’s MAHA Commission assessment of how to ensure health among American children.
“We have serious concerns over the assessment’s allegations about pesticides. The report includes statements that do not reflect the wealth of evidence developed over decades by federal agencies such as the EPA and USDA on the safety of crop inputs and food production methods. These institutions have consistently reaffirmed the safety and efficacy of the systems that help feed our country and the world.
“We note that the report acknowledges in many areas the vital role that farmers, ranchers, cooperatives, and agribusinesses play in ensuring a safe, nutritious, and affordable food supply. In particular, we appreciate the focus on the importance of fruits and vegetables and dairy products as nutritious foods that promote good health. As the commission continues its work, however, we urge them to recognize that many forms of fruit and vegetables, including frozen, dried, and canned, confer the same benefits.
“As this process moves forward, we hope future discussions will be more transparent, balanced, and inclusive of the full scope of facts and perspectives that define American agriculture.”
May 22, 2025:
(USDA NEWS RELEASE)– U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins joined President Donald J. Trump in releasing (May 22, 2025) the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission Report at the White House. The report is a call to evaluate the many reasons American families, particularly children, face high rates of chronic health issues, and it encourages additional research and education on diet, environmental exposures, lack of physical activity, and overmedicalization.
“We must do more to improve the health outcomes of our kids and families, and President Trump knows agriculture is at the heart of the solution. America’s farmers and ranchers dedicate their lives to the noble cause of feeding their country and the world, and in doing so have created the safest and most abundant and affordable food supply in the world. We are working to make sure our kids and families are consuming the healthiest food we produce,” said Secretary Rollins. “I look forward to continuing to work with Secretary Kennedy and other members of the MAHA Commission to improve our nation’s health.”
At the direction of President Trump, USDA is ensuring programs work harder to encourage healthy eating and improved lifestyle habits. Secretary Rollins has called on all governors to submit Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) waivers to empower states to help their communities meet those same goals. This week, Secretary Rollins signed the first-ever waiver to remove soda and energy drinks from Nebraska’s SNAP program.
In the last few weeks, Secretary Rollins has worked with America’s dairy producers to voluntarily remove artificial colors from products sold to K-12 schools for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs beginning during the 2026-2027 school year. Tyson Foods also committed to voluntarily removing petroleum food dyes from their products by the end of this month.
Secretary Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are actively working together in crafting sensical Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), which are set to be released soon. The agencies are working to ensure federal nutrition advice is sound, simple, and clear. The guidelines will prioritize whole, healthy, and nutritious foods such as dairy, fruits, vegetables, and meats, and suggest limitations of foods high in sugar and salt.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A government report released on Thursday (May 22, 2025 covering wide swaths of American health and wellness reflects some of the most contentious views on vaccines, the nation’s food supply, pesticides and prescription drugs held by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The much-anticipated “Make America Healthy Again” report calls for increased scrutiny of the childhood vaccine schedule, a review of the pesticides sprayed on American crops and a description of the nation’s children as overmedicated and undernourished.
While it does not have the force of a law or official policy, the 69-page report will be used over the next 100 days for the MAHA commission to fashion a plan that can be implemented during the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term, Kennedy said in a call with reporters. He refused to provide details about who authored the report.
“We will save lives by addressing this chronic disease epidemic head on, we’re going to save a lot more money in the long run — and even in the short run,” Kennedy said.
Increased scrutiny of childhood vaccines — credited with saving millions of people from deadly diseases — figures prominently in the report. It poses questions over the necessity of school mandates that require children to get vaccinated for admittance and suggestions that vaccines should undergo more clinical trials, including with placebos.
Kennedy, a long-time vaccine critic who previously led a nonprofit that has made false claims about the shots, has continued to raise doubts about the safety of inoculations even as a measles outbreak has sickened more than 1,000 Americans. This week, Kennedy’s health department moved to limit U.S. access to COVID-19 shots.
The report does not provide any evidence that the childhood vaccine schedule — which includes shots for measles, polio and the chickenpox — is to blame for rising obesity, diabetes or autism rates, pointed out Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician at Johns Hopkins University.
“It’s not as if they’re positing any kind of causal link,” Adalja said, adding that Kennedy is “is trying to devalue vaccines in the minds of Americans.”
Other contentious parts of the report are creating factions within the Trump administration’s MAHA commission, even as it strained to appease opposing forces within the politically diverse coalition that Trump and Kennedy have fostered.
The report makes dozens of references to dietary guidelines and standards in Europe but Environmental Protection Agency head Lee Zeldin promised it would not yield more rigorous regulations. Instead, he described a system where companies will be encouraged to comply when presented with new “gold-standard science.”
“This cannot happen through a European mandate system that stifles growth,” Zeldin said in a call with reporters.
Despite numerous studies and statements throughout the MAHA report that raise concerns about American food products, Trump Cabinet officials insisted that the nation’s food supply is safe.
The report mentions that glyphosate, a commonly used chemical sprayed on crops, may cause serious health problems, including cancer.
On Thursday, however, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins insisted: “The food supply is 100% safe.”
Farmers and Republican lawmakers had hounded the Trump administration leading up to the report’s release, worried it would criticize the chemicals they use. Kennedy’s MAHA supporters, too, have been concerned that he would bend to pressure on the issue.
Ultraprocessed foods — industrially made products high in refined grains, sugar, saturated fats and additives like artificial dyes that now make up two-third of the diet for U.S. teens and children — are also hammered in the report. Such products have been linked to a host of poor health outcomes, though documenting how they cause those problems has been notoriously difficult and time-consuming.
The MAHA commission report “is a pretty accurate depiction of the nutrition crisis facing our country,” said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, an expert in nutrition and policy at Tufts University.
The report focuses not only on ultraprocessed foods, but also how too few fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and fish are present in U.S. diets, he noted. But the report leaves out excess salt, which causes harm, even in young children.
The MAHA report calls on the National Institutes of Health to execute sweeping, nationwide studies of ultraprocessed foods, even as the White House has called for $18 billion to be axed from the agency’s budget. An extra $500 million has been requested from Congress for Kennedy’s MAHA initiative.
The report raises concerns about other environmental and chemical research results, funded by corporations and industry, being skewed.
But the MAHA commission’s call for more neutral research comes as sweeping budget and staff cuts propelled by Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency have resulted in 20,000 jobs lost at the nation’s health department and billions of dollars rescinded for research studies. The Trump administration also gutted the Environmental Public Health Tracking Program in its cuts of health-tracking programs.
The report also raises concerns about lack of physical activity among children and their prescription drug use, including antibiotics and medications used to treat attention deficit disorders.
Trump is expected to speak about the report Thursday afternoon at the White House.
The American Soybean Association strongly rebukes the May 22, 2025, Make America Healthy Again Commission report for being brazenly unscientific and damaging to consumer confidence in America’s safe, reliable food system. Should the administration act on the report—which was drafted entirely behind closed doors— it will harm U.S. farmers, increase food costs for consumers, and worsen health outcomes for all Americans. ASA calls on President Trump, who has long been a friend of farmers, to step in and correct the Commission’s deeply misguided report.
Farmers represented by ASA are disturbed the MAHA report contains recommendations that are not at all grounded in science and seem to advance the agenda of food elitists and activist groups that have long sought to undermine U.S. agriculture. These developments are even more troubling after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. falsely assured members of Congress earlier in the week of the report’s release that, “there is not a single word in [the report] that should worry the American farmer.”
ASA Director Alan Meadows grows soybeans in Halls, Tennessee. As ASA’s Regulatory Committee Chairman, he understands explicitly the implications of the MAHA report and spoke to the deep concerns of he and ASA’s full farmer board: “Both farmers and members of Congress tried to warn the administration that activist groups were trying to hijack the MAHA Commission to advance their longstanding goal of harming U.S. farmers. Reading this report, it appears that is exactly what has happened.”
MAHA’s misleading report suggests glyphosate, atrazine and other pesticides essential to farmers are potential contributors to health ailments.
“Activist organizations and trial lawyers are already engaged in baseless lawfare on pesticides. By bizarrely, without reason singling out two specific pesticides, the administration has offered activists a gift on a silver platter. Those groups will be poised to use the report to advance litigation aimed at taking away these tools American farmers use safely and effectively to produce our food,” Meadows said. “It is sad—and downright unjust—that, because of this one unfounded report, those decisions likely will be made by a judge and the court of public opinion instead of the regulatory system created for these very decisions and based on years and reams of credible science and research.”
In addition to repeated safety findings from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ASA notes that glyphosate was recently re-approved by the European Union for 10 years after finding it safe. These findings follow similar conclusions from regulators in Canada, Japan, the UK, Australia, South Korea, and elsewhere.
Concerningly, this report may also undermine national security. If domestic manufacturers exit the market due to increased and unfounded liability created by the report, the U.S. will be almost entirely reliant on China—which currently produces more than 80% of the world’s glyphosate—for continued supplies of this essential agricultural tool.
ASA is also disturbed the report implies seed oils are contributors to reduced human health. Significant research conducted over decades shows that plant-based oils are low in saturated fats and can improve health outcomes. For example, a March 2025 study from the Journal of the American Medical Association found after following more than 220,000 individuals for more than 30 years that frequent consumption of plant-based oils led to a 16% reduction in cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other ailments when compared to alternatives high in saturated fat.
“This is truly a case of saying up is down and down is up,” Meadows said. “We’re discouraging people from consuming heart-healthy oils and driving them to instead use fats that will make them less healthy and cost them more in the process. This is the exact opposite of what our government should be doing.”
A third-party economic study released in April and conducted on behalf of ASA and the United Soybean Board found that removing seed oils from the food supply could increase consumer costs for edible fats and oils by as much as 42%.
The Executive Order creating the MAHA Commission directs that a second report be issued within 80 days of this report, providing policy recommendations based on the findings of the first report.
U.S. soybean farmers call on President Trump to intervene and correct the glaring misinformation and anti-farmer findings in this first report. Further, farmers implore the president to create a process for public input for any follow-up reports to ensure activists cannot again use a closed-door process to harm American farmers and consumers.
Michael Dykes, D.V.M., the president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association, issued the following statement on the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission’s Making Our Children Healthy Again Assessment:
“U.S. dairy farmers, processors, and the entire dairy supply chain share the MAHA Commission’s goal to reduce childhood chronic disease, and at IDFA we’re taking bold action alongside the federal government to ensure every child can access and benefit from dairy nutrition. In the past two years alone, dairy food companies have committed to reducing added sugar and removing certified artificial colors in dairy products served in schools. Appealing to all consumers, dairy companies are offering wholesome new products rich in nutrients, lower in added sugar, and higher in protein, while reducing or removing lactose and extending shelf life.
“We appreciate that the Commission’s assessment recognizes the many positive health outcomes associated with dairy products and highlights the role of improving health through dairy incentives in SNAP. Every day in communities across the country, the dairy industry is partnering with federal, state and local leaders to improve access to dairy foods for low-income Americans through school meals, WIC, and SNAP, offering education and nutrition counseling on creating a healthier diet with dairy’s 13 essential nutrients critical for growth, development, and immune function. As the MAHA Commission develops its strategy to tackle childhood chronic disease, we urge the Commission to embrace sound science and evidence throughout, and to continue to work with IDFA and our dairy industry partners to build a healthier future for all children.”
CropLife America (CLA), the leading organization representing the U.S. pesticide industry, stands firmly behind the responsible use of pesticides as a critical tool for the farmers who grow healthy, affordable, and abundant food for Americans. CLA expressed confidence in the current pesticide regulatory framework to help ensure the safety of America’s food.
“Pesticides are thoroughly studied and highly regulated for safety,” said Alexandra Dunn, president and CEO of CLA. “While the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Report recognizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) robust and science-based decision-making, it unfairly casts doubt on the integrity of the federal review process.”
“This report will stir unjustified fear and confusion among American consumers who live in the country with the safest and most abundant food supply,” said Dunn. “We commend champions of agriculture in this administration and in Congress that have heard the voice of farmers.”
Without access to EPA-approved pesticides, significant crop losses would threaten the livelihood of family farms and lead to higher grocery prices and fewer healthy food options for families – the very opposite of what the MAHA Commission seeks to achieve.
Dr. Manojit Basu, vice president of science policy and regulatory affairs at CLA said, “Pesticides undergo more than a decade of rigorous testing and review before being approved for use by the U.S. EPA. This science-based process considers potential risk to humans, animals, and the environment, and ensures that pesticides can be safely applied when used as directed.”
Members of Congress and more than 300 farmer and agriculture organizations have engaged with the Commission to advocate for the preservation of science-based systems and credible data in their evaluations of products and practices essential to food and agriculture – including pesticides.
Individuals who want to share their perspectives with the Trump Administration and Congress can submit a letter here: https://www.
May 20, 2025:
The Make America Healthy Again Commission is expected to soon release a report that will have significant bearing on America’s farmers, producers and ranchers, and the public’s trust in our food system. In anticipation, the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, International Fresh Produce Association, and in turn, the farmers these groups represent, are imploring the administration to consider the consequences of this MAHA Commission report before it is finalized.
“American agriculture’s strong relationship with President Trump is based on his longstanding commitment to farmers, growers and ranchers. That is why farmers represented by the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, and International Fresh Produce Association are imploring the administration to carefully consider the content and consequences of the forthcoming Make America Healthy Again Commission report before it is finalized.
“Despite the effort of many of our organizations to work with the MAHA Commission to provide factual information about American food production, we have heard disturbing accounts that the commission report may suggest U.S. farmers are harming Americans through their production practices and ‘creating foods that is [sic] destroying our microbiome and bodies—leading directly to our chronic disease crisis.’ Nothing could be further from the truth. Nutrition matters, health matters, and the confidence of consumers in the food supply matters tremendously. Such a conclusion would run counter to the scientific evidence and decades of findings from the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Should the MAHA Commission report baselessly attack and, worse yet, make claims that are simply untrue against the hardworking men and women who feed our nation, it will make further cooperation on this initiative very difficult and potentially put American food production at risk. We urge President Trump to ensure that the MAHA Commission report is based on sound science and evidence-based claims rather than opinions and preferences of social influencers and single-issue activists with little to no experience in actual farming or food production.”
The groups represent hundreds of thousands of farmers across the United States—farmers whose livelihoods are at stake if the report turns to conjecture and opinion to form its content.
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