Unpacking the MAHA Report
In mid-May, the White House released “The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Report.” The report makes proclamations linking food and chemical corporations with our country’s health crises, particularly those impacting children. It sounds the alarm about corporate influence over our food system, the dangers of pesticides, and the increasing concerns brought about by environmental toxins, to name just a few.
Read on to learn what the MAHA Report says about agriculture and what we see as potential implications of its publication.
But First, Who’s Who in the MAHA Movement?
Robert F Kennedy, Jr. (RFK Jr.) serves as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and leads the MAHA Commission, which authored this report. In this role, he oversees the Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other health agencies. Brooke Rollins is the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and, as such, oversees many of the named MAHA policy priorities. As the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Lee Zeldin may play a role in keeping toxins identified by the report out of our food system. Though not involved in the report, Congressman Troy Balderson (OH-12) is part of the Congressional MAHA Caucus, which names advancing regenerative agriculture as one of its goals.
The Focus of the Report
The proclaimed purpose of the report is to “ensure that all Americans—today and in the future—live longer, healthier lives, supported by systems that prioritize prevention, wellbeing, and resilience.” It focuses on four potential drivers of the increase in chronic diseases affecting American children: poor diet, environmental chemicals, lack of physical activity and chronic stress, and overmedicalization. As it relates to OEFFA’s work, this blog will focus on the topic of environmental chemicals and the report’s mention of agriculture playing a key role in supporting health in this country.
MAHA and Agriculture
Early on in the report, its authors share that the rise of modernization and industrialization in the U.S. has resulted in an unintended consequence: new threats to our health and rising inefficiencies in responding to them. After World War II, the U.S. shifted toward industrial-scale farming, mechanization, synthetic fertilizers, and shelf-stable processing technologies. According to the report, this set the stage for increased availability and consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs). UPFs are packaged products that have been formulated for shelf life and/or palatability and are often high in refined grains, fat, sugar, and sodium.
The report also links the rise of UPFs with consolidation, highlighting the growing pattern of corporatization of our food and farming systems. It notes that today’s farmers receive just 16 cents from every dollar spent on food, while food manufacturers, marketers, and distributors receive the remaining 84 cents. The report also touches on the power of “Big Food” companies, sharing the fact that just four corporations control 80 percent of the meat market in the U.S.
Related to some of the above-mentioned issues, the MAHA Report also touches on the farm safety net, primarily, federal crop insurance programs. We at OEFFA have long advocated for a crop insurance program that is fair, functional, and informed. As the report highlights, traditional field crops (like corn, soybeans, and wheat) receive the lion’s share of support from the taxpayer-funded crop insurance program, while producers of specialty crops (fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts) are often left without options for subsidies. Even large-scale organic grain operations find it difficult to participate in farm safety net programs. Meanwhile, organic foods account for a mere 0.1 percent of the 2018 Farm Bill funding.
MAHA and Pesticides/Herbicides
Agricultural runoff and pesticides are also mentioned in the MAHA Report as contributors to health concerns in our country. Pesticides and herbicides like atrazine, chlorpyrifos, and glyphosate are named, along with the fact that the world’s food systems use more than eight billion pounds of pesticides annually, with the U.S. accounting for roughly one billion pounds.
The report notes potential health effects linked with these “crop protection tools,” which include cancer, birth defects, endocrine disruption, and reproductive and developmental disorders. It goes on to say, “American farmers are critical partners in the success of the Make America Healthy Again agenda.” Yet, it also recognizes that American farmers rely on crop protection tools like pesticides, and shares that actions that further regulate them should thoughtfully consider “what is necessary for adequate protection, alternatives, and cost of production.” According to the report, “Precipitous changes in agricultural practices could have an adverse impact on American agriculture and the domestic and global food supply.”
Agrichemical industry leaders and commodity trade groups were quick to denounce the report, with the glyphosate advocacy group, Modern Ag Alliance, along with the American Soybean Association and National Corn Growers speaking out to combat its mention of pesticides and herbicides. Zippy Duvall of the American Farm Bureau Federation says the report “sows seeds of doubt and fear about our food system and farming practices, then attempts to celebrate farmers and the critical role they play in producing the safest food supply in the world. Farmers are identified as ‘critical partners,’ yet were excluded from development of the report, despite many requests for a seat at the table.”
Moving Forward
We are supportive of farmers getting the resources they need, and are thankful to have a community of OEFFA farmers who consider environmental and human health impacts when choosing inputs. But Duvall’s words ring true in a sense when we think about the complicated nature of the report’s claims and the potential governmental responses to address them.
When we look at the current administration’s priorities and the nature of the report’s claims, we must make sure that farmers are at the center of conversations regarding healthy foods and healthy farming practices. The administration’s EPA is authorized to restrict pesticide uses and regulate the agrichemical industry. Secretary Rollins was appointed to lead a ‘Farmers First’ USDA, and she can shape her agency to better promote alternatives to agrichemicals and support farmers providing American communities with whole foods grown without toxic chemicals.
But will they? What the MAHA Report envisions is a version of a radically transformed food and farming system, similar to one that OEFFA and our members have been working toward for decades. But it’s unclear if the economic and political willpower exists to rein in Big Ag and its influence. The report sheds light on the significant power that chemical lobbyists and companies have in shaping federal activities and filling key federal posts. Addressing this concentration of power is essential if we want to truly “Make America Healthy Again”.
Healthy Food Begins with Farmers
In response to the MAHA Report, our colleagues at Farm Action set forth policy recommendations focused on centering farmers as the solution for improving our nation’s health. They maintain that many farmers are already championing solutions that support a healthier population. Many are already, and have been, growing nutrient-dense crops, building strong regional markets, raising animals on pasture, and stewarding soil health.
Farm Action’s policy recommendations align with many of the member-driven priorities behind our farm bill platform:
- Promoting soil health and climate resilience through conservation policy
- Increasing investments in local and regional food systems
- Addressing consolidation in the food and agriculture system
The report’s solution to America’s health crisis is simple: “put whole foods produced by American farmers and ranchers at the center of healthcare.” We agree that whole foods produced by American farmers and ranchers are essential to a healthier America. Our team is hopeful that the report and its findings will reignite momentum around issues OEFFA members care about. We celebrate this unique moment and are optimistic about its potential to drive meaningful progress and attention toward a transformed food and farm system.
*Note: After the MAHA Report was published, it was reported that many of its citations were AI-generated, inaccurate, or fake. The report linked here is the White House’s updated version, and all references linked in this blog have been checked for validity.