Make America Healthy Again, the movement led by the Trump administration to reverse the childhood chronic disease crisis, primarily by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been met with many different opinions and feelings. The recently released MAHA Report, officially titled, “Make Our Children Healthy Again”, could have a significant impact on how farmers farm in the future.
“I think everyone agrees that we do have a problem with childhood obesity and childhood chronic disease in this country,” says Alexa Combelic, executive director for government affairs with the American Soybean Association. “And I think that the goal of addressing that is admirable and something that we all want to be helpful with.”
Combelic says the primary issue they have with the report is that it was largely done behind closed doors, without the input of the folks that grow food, of nutrition experts, or really anyone outside of perhaps a few activist groups.”
The report specifically calls out seed oils, like soybean oil, as being unhealthy, despite research that shows there are many health benefits.
“What’s concerning to ASA is that this same rhetoric about seed oils, this same rhetoric about calling into question the safety of pesticides used in farming, that all of that is continuing to be brought up in meetings with our organization and other farming organizations.”
Combelic adds that the authors “cherry picked” research that helped them make their points. In some cases, the “studies” weren’t actually studies but instead opinion pieces. This was especially true about pesticides.
“Frankly, it’s just unacceptable that this report should try to connect pesticides with chronic health conditions in children when our regulatory system is considered the gold standard for protecting human health from pesticides.”
Hear more from Combelic in the latest Indiana Ag Policy Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. You can watch the podcast below as well. You’ll also hear about the health benefits of seed oils from Soy Nutrition Institute Global.
