May 29, 2025 eNewsletter

Make America Healthy Again Commission Releases Childhood Chronic Diseases Assessments with References to Pesticides

Last Thursday, the Make America Healthy Again Commission (MAHA), a presidential advisory body focused on childhood chronic diseases in the U.S., released its initial assessment. To read the report click here. The hastily constructed, equivocal assessment was awaited with concern by the agricultural community due to past critical statements made by and advocacy against pesticides from MAHA chair, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Some of the areas referencing pesticides in the report are as follows:

• Links childhood exposure to household pesticide exposures (rather than food). “90% [of U.S. homes] showed measurable levels of at least one insecticide on their floors.” In terms of household exposures associated with chemicals, lawn care and indoor exposures, including “dust” and “household sprays” are cited.
• Recognition of farmers. Page 42-43 is the largest section on crop pesticides in the assessment, stating that pesticide exposures in food are safe and there is no direct link between herbicide use and adverse health outcomes, then stating that farmers are essential and U.S. agencies are committed to assisting US farmers.
• States that studies funded by pesticide companies are biased and the U.S. needs more government (non-industry) funded research.
• Chemicals are mentioned by name, including pesticides such as atrazine and glyphosate, “common exposures include lawn care, farming, and pesticide residues.”
• Industry lobbying: The report highlights concerns with industry lobbying and industry’s ability to fund biased research.

Many of the claims made in the assessment are correlative in nature rather than causative, or are tangential, equivocal or seriously antiquated. For example, on page 38, the assessment cites a 1982 study on insecticide residues in breast milk, despite the fact that most of the chemicals referenced have been banned or strictly regulated in these more than four decades. Another one of the studies the MAHA Commission report relied on to raise concerns with glyphosate was thrown out of court by a U.S. District Court judge because, according to the judge, the study’s author, Dr. Luopin Zhang’s “meta-analysis is junk science. It has deep methodological problems, not the least of which is that it doesn’t achieve its stated aim of examining only “highly exposed” individuals. Instead, it examines an arbitrary selection of the available data.” The court order may be found by clicking here.

In response to the release of the report, the Chairs of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees released a joint statement about the report, stating that they are “troubled by the initial findings of the MAHA Commission Assessment and their impact on America’s farmers and ranchers.” Their statement can be found here.

A number of the major national agricultural organizations in the U.S. were critical of the report. The American Soybean Association rebuked the 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.” It called on President Trump, “who has long been a friend of farmers, to step in and correct the Commission’s deeply misguided report.” The National Corn Growers Association stated the “report is filled with fear-based rather than science-based information about pesticides.” The National Association of Wheat Growers “urge[d] the Trump administration to ensure that the MAHA Commission’s future work is guided by sound science and peer-reviewed research. American consumers deserve facts—not fear—when it comes to how their food is grown and produced.” The National Cotton Council was “disappointed with the Make America Healthy Again Commission’s report. Over the decades, the Environmental Protection Agency has subjected pesticides to rigorous review and eliminated those that were deemed unsafe. Our current products have been tested and re-tested to protect the farmer, the environment, and the consumer.” The American Farm Bureau Federation stated that “It is deeply troubling for the White House to endorse a report that 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.”

There are also areas of opportunity outlined in the report, including:

• A focus on specialty crops as a way to improve childhood health: Page 30 states, “government programs…to improve children’s nutrition and access to food…much less support for specialty crops such as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and nursery plants.”
• Support for the use of chemicals broadly as important tools: Page 35 states, “It is critical to recognize that chemicals are important tools that are inextricably linked to economic growth and innovation, helping feed…every American and maintain food safety standards.”
• Mention of the importance of the U.S. regulatory system where on page 36 the assessment states, “The US government is committed to fostering…gold-standard science to better understand the potential cumulative impacts of environmental exposures [to pesticides]…This cannot happen through a European regulatory system that stifles growth…it will happen through renewed focus on…science throughout the federal government.” The report also references the role of EPA: as having a robust risk-based approach that takes into account hazard and exposure for assessing the risks of chemicals, including pesticides, to human health and the environment.

Other areas the report mentions as factors contributing to childhood health include the following:

• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
• Pharmaceuticals
• Social media use
• Ultra-processed foods
• Vaccines

The MAHA initial assessment report did not prescribe any regulatory actions or policies, however it is currently developing a “Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy” that is due August 12, 2025

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