WASHINGTON, D.C. – “Deeply troubling” and “misguided” are among the words that U.S. ag organizations are using to describe the newly-released report from the “Make America Healthy Again”(MAHA) Commission. Farmer and rancher groups are largely unhappy with the commission led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
While the 69-page report does not have the force of a law or official policy, it will be used over the next 100 days for the MAHA Commission to put together a plan that will be implemented under President Trump.
Kennedy has a long history of labeling some U.S. ag inputs and production and processing practices as, “a massive poisoning of Americans.”
American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said, “It is deeply troubling for the White House to endorse a report that sows seeds of doubt and fear about our food system and production practices, then attempts to celebrate farmers and ranchers and the critical role they play in producing the safest food supply in the world.”
Meanwhile, National Farmer’s Union President Rob Larew said that while the report gets some things right, any meaningful progress requires farmers and ranchers to have a seat at the table. “Farmers and ranchers are key partners in building a healthier food system. Disregarding the expertise of respected regulatory bodies and leaving farmers and ranchers out of the conversation undermines public trust and puts the future of American agriculture and rural economies at risk. We urge the administration to include the voices of family farmers and ranchers as they continue this work and to ensure that solutions are rooted in sound science, fairness and transparency.”
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) calls parts of the Make America Healthy Again Commission report “unsettling.”
Senior director of congressional relations Matthew Grill told Brownfield Ag News the NPPC has concerns around the definition of ultra-processed foods.
“We don’t want to see nutrients dense products like what our producers are putting on the shelves misclassified into an ultra-processed food definition that’s really trying to capture something else. It’s not the same to eat a sausage as it is to eat a chip or to eat anything else.”
Grill says the MAHA report seems to shift away from sound science and risk-based assessments.
“When we start getting into areas of wishy-washy, I think we have some problems. I think we want to stay in where we know and where the science actually takes us.”
NPPC is calling on the Trump administration to ensure producers have a seat at the table when discussions and decisions impacting their livelihoods are made.
