Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Panning MAHA Plan, Farm Action Says It's 'A Far Cry From The Bold Promises'
Newsweek: RFK Jr.'s MAHA Strategy Blasted By Farm Group That Endorsed Him
Farm Action, a nonpartisan, farmer-led watchdog organization that advocates for accountability from the government and large corporations within the agricultural sector, rated the contents of a recent leaked draft of the MAHA strategy a "D+," saying, "It recognizes some of the right priorities and even overlaps with our recommendations in places, but the execution is timid and avoids the structural reforms needed to truly deliver on the MAHA Commission's own diagnosis of the problem." (Mordowanec, 8/25)
The Wall Street Journal: The Costly Ingredient That Big Food Companies Are Processing: MAHA
Executives at big processed-food makers are trying to determine how much of what Kennedy and MAHA want will actually happen, and how it could affect their bottom lines. Their challenge is to balance his push for what he sees as healthier food with their need to make products that consumers will buy. Some companies have assembled special teams to navigate MAHA, drawing up lists and “heat maps” to track ingredients coming under scrutiny, and assessing which ones they might have to remove or label. Executives have compared dealing with MAHA to battling the mythical Hydra—cut off one head and two more spring up. (Newman and Tucker-Smith, 8/25)
The Atlantic: A ‘MAHA Box’ Might Be Coming To Your Doorstep
Millions of Americans might soon have mail from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The health secretary—who fiercely opposes industrial, ultraprocessed foods—now wants to send people care packages full of farm-fresh alternatives. They will be called “MAHA boxes.” For the most part, MAHA boxes remain a mystery. They are mentioned in a leaked draft of a much-touted report that the Trump administration is set to release about improving children’s health. Reportedly, the 18-page document—which promises studies on the health effects of electromagnetic radiation and changes in how the government regulates sunscreen, among many other things—includes this: “MAHA Boxes: USDA will develop options to get whole, healthy food to SNAP participants.” In plain English, kids on food stamps might be sent veggies. (Florko, 8/20)
NBC News: MAHA Loves Dietary Supplements. But That Hasn’t Led To Gains In Washington.
An avid consumer of dietary supplements, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has surrounded himself in part with senior staff members, advisers and health influencers who have promoted everything from weight loss pills to capsules of desiccated organ meat. But that hasn’t led to gains in Washington for the multibillion-dollar industry — yet. (Khimm, 8/26)
HuffPost: This MAHA-Inspired Birth Control Method Is Trending At The Worst Possible Time
TikTok’s favorite birth control method is more like no birth control at all. On the Gen-Z-beloved app ― approximately 60% of its users are in their teens and 20s ― “natural” birth control is having a moment: Terms like “birth control natural alternatives” are trending, with wellness influencers encouraging other women to quit birth control and track their fertility cycles naturally (or with apps) and use herbal supplements to avoid getting pregnant. (Wong, 8/22)
Kentucky Lantern: As Republicans Spar Over IVF, Some Turn To Obscure MAHA-Backed Alternative
People who believe embryos are children oppose IVF because it can involve the discarding of some embryos, which they say is akin to abortion. “The popularity of IVF creates a dilemma for Republican politicians who have had anti-choice organizations as a key part of their constituency for their whole careers,” said Sean Tipton, chief advocacy and policy officer at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. (Vollers, 8/26)
In case you missed it —
HHS.gov: HHS Launches “MAHA In Action” Tracker
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today launched MAHA in Action—a dynamic new platform showcasing the powerful federal initiatives and state-led reforms advancing President Donald J. Trump and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda. (8/18)
