The action plan aims to improve health through rigorous research, outcome-based policy, community partnership, and increased public awareness.
The federal Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission released its strategy report on Sept. 9, setting the stage for dozens of initiatives aimed at improving the health of American children.
The strategy document was commissioned by President Donald Trump by executive order in February and builds on the commission’s May 22 assessment of the factors that are driving an increase in chronic illness among children.
“Thirty-eight percent of teens are now diabetic or pre diabetic,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at a press conference introducing the strategy.
“The autism rates, which the president is particularly concerned with, have dropped from less than one in 10,000 in 1971 to one in every 31 kids today. This is a national security issue,” Kennedy said, also noting that 80 percent of young people cannot meet the physical qualifications for military service.
Kennedy chairs the commission, which includes 11 other Cabinet secretaries, agency commissioners, and other government officials.
Here are key takeaways from the report.
1. Delivering Nutritious Food
Several of the 128 strategies listed in the document aim to improve both the quality of food delivered to American tables and the eating choices of consumers.
One initiative is to complete a revision of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) food guidelines that institutions such as hospitals and schools use for meal planning, as do many consumers.
“These guidelines will prioritize whole, healthy, and nutritious foods such as whole fat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and meats, and suggest limiting highly processed foods and those high in sugar,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said.
The Food and Drug Administration will continue the policy of limiting or prohibiting the use of petroleum-based food dyes, especially in food delivered to schools. Many food producers have agreed to this initiative, according to Rollins. They include Tyson Foods, PepsiCo, Smucker’s, General Mills, Nestle, and others.
The USDA will also implement a government-wide definition of ultra-processed foods, and consider a revision of its food labeling guidelines.
The Food and Drug administration will increase testing of infant formula for heavy metals and other contaminants.
Multiple government agencies will explore the development of industry guidelines to limit the direct marketing of unhealthy foods to children, which will include an evaluation of potentially misleading claims and images.
