MAHA Health Strategy Report Lowers Volume About Pesticide Concerns

The Make America Healthy Again Commission (MAHA), a presidential advisory body focused on childhood chronic diseases in the U.S., released its health strategy report earlier this week lowering the volume about health effects of certain pesticides compared to its health assessment report released in May. The MAHA spring report was an assessment of health conditions and stated that the U.S. needs more government (non-industry funded) pesticide studies and mentioned some chemicals by name, including pesticides such as atrazine and glyphosate. The report highlighted concerns with industry lobbying and the industry’s ability to fund biased research. Many of the claims made in the assessment were correlative in nature rather than causative, or were tangential, equivocal, or seriously antiquated.

The Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy report released Tuesday was like a draft version that was circulated in mid-August. It calls for evaluating the health effects of pesticides but takes no immediate steps to curb the use of glyphosate. It recognized that pesticides are important tools for farmers to grow healthy, affordable, and abundant food and acknowledged how EPA’s transparent, science and risk-based regulatory system is key to a safe and sustainable food supply.  Much work was done by the agricultural industry to educate the MAHA Commission between the release of its spring assessment report to its strategy report just released. NAAA was heavily involved in this education process, including actively participating in field day education events and White House meetings over the summer, including direct discussions with President Trump’s agricultural advisors and with Calley Means, senior adviser to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and MAHA initiative advocate.