I’ve been worried so far about the impact of RFK Jr. on HHS
RFK Jr. A red flag reluctant to support the measles vaccine has risen amid the fatal outbreak.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. condemns ultra-highly processed foods, environmental chemicals, lack of physical activity, chronic stress, and “overmineering” to drive chronic illnesses in children in the United States.
The 69-page report entitled “To make our children healthy again” says these drivers are driven in part by corporate influence and government lobbying.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order to establish a “Make America Health Again” committee while Kennedy was sworn in at the February 13 ceremony, tasked with submitting a plan of action to combat childhood illnesses starting with a report that has a deadline of 100 days.
Members of the MAHA committee responsible for the report include Secretary of Agriculture Brook Rollins, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Martin McCalley, and Director of the National Institute of Health Drugs, Dr. Jainta Bhatacharya.
In a call with reporters, Kennedy said the committee will work for the next 80 days to issue policy recommendations based on the findings of the White House report.
“This report is really… a diagnosis and the prescription comes in 100 days,” he said.
RFK Maha Report targets ultra-highly processed foods, food dyes and sweeteners
The report raises the flag on ultra-processed grains, sugar, fats and food additives as the issue of fueling American diet and chronic diseases.
The author says that ultra-processed foods, or UPFS, replaces nutrient-rich foods, encourage people to eat more, leading to an increase in childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
UPF includes foods such as ice cream, chips, cheeseburgers, fries, soda, cakes, candies, cookies and more. Research has also linked to many health issues in women, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and depression. They are also associated with cognitive decline and cancer.
The report also targets food additives such as artificial dyes, titanium dioxide, propylparaben, butylated hydroxytoluene, aspartame, sucralose and saccharin.
In a 2023 report, the World Health Organization concluded that “occasional consumption” of aspartame – typically found in sugar-free drinks like diet coke – is generally safe.
Kennedy has already launched his campaign against food dyes, and at a press conference on April 22nd, announced that the administration plans to remove eight dyes from drug therapy and food by the end of 2026.
The dye that will be phased out within two years is FD&C Blue Nos. 1 and 2, FD&C Green 3, FD&C Red 40, FD&C Yellow NOS 5 and 6. In the coming months, the process will begin revoking permissions for Orange B and Citrus Red 2, according to HHS.
Details of the contents reported by RFK: pesticide intake and environmental chemicals
The report authors also flag environmental toxins and seek further research to study the health effects of polyfluoroalkyl substances, microplastics, fluorides, electromagnetic radiation, esphenol phthalates, bisphenols and pesticides.
Polyfluoroalkyl materials, also known as PFA or “Forever Chemicals,” are made up of over 12,000 artificial compounds used in consumer products such as nonstick, grease proof, waterproof coatings and surfaces.
PFAs do not break down easily in nature, and therefore they accumulate in the human body, leading to certain cancers and other serious health complications.
With Kennedy’s push towards fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral found in water, soil, air and a variety of foods, health regulators are now removing ingestible fluoride supplements from the market. Fluoride has been added to dental products such as toothpaste for decades and decades as a precaution for dental clinics.
So far, Utah and Florida are the only states that have banned fluoride from drinking water. Several other states, such as Kentucky, Louisiana, and South Carolina, have anti-fluorination bills on the table.
The report calls two herbicides, glyphosate and atrazine, and says the latest assessment of these common substances will be released in 2026.
Prior to the publication of the report, President Zippy Duvall of the United States Farm Bureau Federation expressed concern that the findings in the report would erode public confidence in US food supplies and “limit agricultural practices based on unproven theories,” according to a statement released on May 20th.
The agency manager ensured that the country’s food supply was safe in calls about the committee’s report.
“Farmers need the tools in their toolboxes to continue to feed the world, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do better,” Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins said.
Children “have too many medications,” says Maha Report.
The report claims that “Children in America are taking too many medications,” criticizing the childhood vaccination schedule to include more vaccines than in Europe.
The committee encourages larger clinical trials to examine the potential link between pediatric vaccine safety and chronic disease. However, experts say decades of evidence shows the safety and benefits of these shots.
Babies are expected to receive vaccines that protect them from around 15 different infections. Most require multiple doses, which means nearly 30 jabs by age 2.
The author of the report also states that spending less time outside in nature and more time spent on screens and social media. The committee said these results will be exacerbated by “over-mentalisation” and call for medications to treat anxiety, depression, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, are commonly used drugs called in reports. SSRIs are approved by the FDA to treat a variety of conditions, including anxiety, depression, bulimia nervosa, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and are used off-labeled to treat several others.
In a call with a reporter, NIH Director Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya criticized the medical literature that supports specific treatments and how it can be used in children, calling it a “replication crisis.”
“We have a crisis that requires us to rethink almost every aspect of what we think about illness and disease prevention,” he said.
Contributed by: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today; Reuters.
Adrianna Rodriguez can visit adrodriguez@usatoday.com.
