Healthy Amount of Statements Following Report's Release
The 68 page report released Thursday elicited a lot of response.
From the White House, the president was flanked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Junior, along with USDA head Brooke Rollins and others as they unveiled the Make America Healthy Again report.
The report also comes out against ultra-processed foods linked to a host of poor health outcomes.
Agricultural commodity groups pushed back at the claims pesticides used on farms are potential contributors to disease in children. Glyphosate and atriazine were targeted, which are staples of corn and soybean production.
Read the full Making Our Children Healthy Again Report here.
Here are many different full statements issued following the report’s issuance.
House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15) and Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Chairman John Boozman (R-AR): “We share President Trump’s vision for a healthier nation; however, we are troubled by the initial findings of the MAHA Commission Assessment and their impact on America’s farmers and ranchers. As we engage in this important dialogue, we must move forward in a manner that avoids undermining the very systems that allow American farmers to produce the safest, most abundant, and affordable food in the world. It is imperative that we do not stray from the risk-based and scientific processes set forth by Congress. The Commission’s success will center upon course-correcting to prioritize sound science, peer-reviewed research, and the buy-in of the agricultural community. Through rigorous oversight and responsible policy making, the Agriculture Committees will continue to do our part in maintaining the health and safety of America’s food, fiber, and materials produced by the backbone of our great country, American farmers, ranchers, and producers."
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins: “We must do more to improve the health outcomes of our kids and families, and President Trump knows agriculture is at the heart of the solution. America’s farmers and ranchers dedicate their lives to the noble cause of feeding their country and the world, and in doing so have created the safest and most abundant and affordable food supply in the world. We are working to make sure our kids and families are consuming the healthiest food we produce. I look forward to continuing to work with Secretary Kennedy and other members of the MAHA Commission to improve our nation’s health.”
National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) President Duane Stateler, a pork producer from McComb, Ohio: “U.S. pork producers are proud to provide a safe and nutrient-dense protein for all Americans, and we support honest efforts to continuously improve our nation’s health and prosperity. Like others in farming and agriculture, we agree that nutritious, healthy, safe, and affordable protein from meat should be widely accessible so everyone can achieve the basic needs of a balanced diet. Filling our nation’s protein gap is critical, especially for those focused on food insecurity and improving the health of our nation. Efforts that not only exclude agriculture’s input, but also undermine the work of farmers serving our nation, are misguided and detrimental to all who care about facts and truth. Inflammatory rhetoric and distortions, meant to galvanize attention to achieve particular ideological outcomes, are harmful and undermine the world-class safety and reliability of the American food system. We urge extreme caution and recognize this as a moment for leadership that not only fosters and maintains trust in the foods we consume but also defends farmers against unwarranted and unfounded attacks. Our current system of producing food at scale for a vast and growing nation has unleashed prosperity and opportunity from coast to coast, and it is built on the strength of the shrinking number of us who continue to farm. Right now, it is vital for policy makers, members of Congress, and executive branch officials to ensure that America’s food security – and farm families like mine – remain strong, vibrant, and lasting. “We urge President Trump to support America’s farmers, who use modern practices to feed 98% of the population. We implore this administration to ensure farmers have a seat at the table when discussions and decisions impacting our livelihoods are made. On behalf of my fellow 60,000+ pork producers and our commitment to continuous improvement, we stand ready and willing to assist and partner in transparent, risk-based research to further the health of our nation.”
National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) President Pat Clements: “NAWG is deeply concerned with the content and implications of the MAHA Commission’s report. Throughout the process, NAWG and other agricultural stakeholders have worked in good faith to provide the commission with accurate, science-based information about modern food production practices in the United States. Wheat growers are proud stewards of the land and are committed to producing safe, healthy food for families here at home and around the world. Unfortunately, the report contains misleading claims that could undermine public trust in our nation’s food system. “We urge 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 Council of Farmer Cooperatives acknowledges today’s MAHA Commission assessment of how to ensure health among American children. We have serious concerns over the assessment’s allegations about pesticides. The report includes statements that do not reflect the wealth of evidence developed over decades by federal agencies such as the EPA and USDA on the safety of crop inputs and food production methods. These institutions have consistently reaffirmed the safety and efficacy of the systems that help feed our country and the world. We note that the report acknowledges in many areas the vital role that farmers, ranchers, cooperatives, and agribusinesses play in ensuring a safe, nutritious, and affordable food supply. In particular, we appreciate the focus on the importance of fruits and vegetables and dairy products as nutritious foods that promote good health. As the commission continues its work, however, we urge them to recognize that many forms of fruit and vegetables, including frozen, dried, and canned, confer the same benefits. As this process moves forward, we hope future discussions will be more transparent, balanced, and inclusive of the full scope of facts and perspectives that define American agriculture.”
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “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. Farmers are identified as ‘critical partners,’ yet were excluded from development of the report, despite many requests for a seat at the table. The report also expresses a desire to ensure farmers continue to thrive, but undermining confidence in our food system directly contradicts that noble goal. The report spotlights outlier studies and presents unproven theories that feed a false narrative and only then does it acknowledge a mountain of evidence about the safety of our food system. We suspect USDA had a prominent role in the report’s recognition that farmers are the critical first step in the food system, but as a whole, the report falls short. The American people were promised transparency yet presented with a report developed in secret. As a farmer myself, I can confidently say that farmers and ranchers share the goal of improving health outcomes in America. They’re dedicated to continuous improvement, guided by sound science and technological advances. We are carefully examining the nearly 70 pages of contradictory assertions and look forward to further discussions with administration officials. President Trump has voiced his trust in farmers many times and we urge him to ensure a transparent process going forward with farmers at the table and sound science – not emotionally charged rhetoric – guiding the conversation.”
National Corn Growers Association: “The Make America Healthy Again Report is filled with fear-based rather than science-based information about pesticides. We are deeply troubled that claims of this magnitude are being made without any scientific basis or regard for a long history of EPA expert evaluations of these products. “Decades of extensive research and testing show that pesticides, including atrazine and glyphosate, can be applied safely for their intended uses. If the administration’s goal is to bring more efficiency to government, then why is the secretary of Health and Human Services duplicating efforts by raising questions about pesticides that have been answered repeatedly through research and reviews by federal regulatory bodies? We call on the administration to respect the existing body of science on pesticides and, moving forward, to include America’s farmers in discussion as this process evolves.”
American Soybean Association Director Alan Meadows: “Activist organizations and trial lawyers are already engaged in baseless lawfare on pesticides. By bizarrely, without reason singling out two specific pesticides, the administration has offered activists a gift on a silver platter. Those groups will be poised to use the report to advance litigation aimed at taking away these tools American farmers use safely and effectively to produce our food. It is sad—and downright unjust—that, because of this one unfounded report, those decisions likely will be made by a judge and the court of public opinion instead of the regulatory system created for these very decisions and based on years and reams of credible science and research. This is truly a case of saying up is down and down is up,” Meadows said. “We’re discouraging people from consuming heart-healthy oils and driving them to instead use fats that will make them less healthy and cost them more in the process. This is the exact opposite of what our government should be doing.”
Iowa Corn Growers Association: “The report released by the Make American Healthy Again Commission is deeply concerning to Iowa corn growers. Crop protection tools, like pesticides, are essential for farmers working to provide affordable, high-quality food to those around the world. Farmers should not have to defend themselves against misinformation when decades of scientific research prove these tools are not only safe but essential. Farmers care deeply about leaving the land better than they found it. The crops farmers grow is the food they feed their own families, and together they strive to ensure that their agricultural products are safe and accessible for everyone who depends on them.”
Contact: markettomarket@iowapbs.org