During President Trump’s first month in office, he signed an executive order creating the Make America Healthy Again Commission. The brand new commission, chaired by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had its inaugural meeting yesterday.
During the meeting, RFK Jr. and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that they would continue work on the most recently released dietary guidelines for Americans.
The two agencies are currently conducting line-by-line reviews of the scientific report released by the prior administration. They say moving forward, they will work to make holistic process improvements, ensuring transparency and minimizing conflicts of interest.
Sec. Rollins shared:
“It is the dawn of a new day. The Trump-Vance Administration supports transformational opportunities to create and implement policies that promote healthy choices, healthy families, and healthy outcomes... Secretary Kennedy and I have a powerful, complementary role in this, and it starts with updating federal dietary guidance. We will make certain the 2025-2023 Guidelines are based on sound science, not political science. Gone are the days where leftist ideologies guide public policy.”
The announcement comes as more than 300 food and ag organizations sent a letter to Secretary Rollins, Secretary Kennedy, and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.
They are expressing their concerns over the Make America Healthy Again Initiative.
The group emphasizes a need to use sound science when tackling MAHA concerns like pesticides, biotechnology, and food and feed ingredients. They argue using them safely is critical to maintaining an affordable food supply.
The American Farm Bureau was among the groups to sign the letter. AFBF President Zippy Duvall stated:
“Farmers and ranchers share the goal of advancing the health of Americans. We’re always looking for ways to do better, but meaningful discussions must reflect the years of sound science, technology, and innovation that has enabled farmers to grow a safe and abundant food supply for America’s families.”