The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the “Make Our Children Healthy Again” report, outlining its strategy to confront the U.S. childhood chronic disease crisis.Key proposals include defining “ultra-processed food,” revising dietary guidelines, banning petroleum-based food dyes, updating nutrition labels, and modernizing infant formula standards.While the report suggests major shifts in food regulation and public health policy, experts caution it is light on specifics and relies heavily on calls for further research.
On September 9, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), released the highly anticipated “Make Our Children Healthy Again” report, outlining the agency’s plans for the nation’s health. The 20-page report provides a broad overview of what the agency sees as the core issue in the “childhood chronic disease crisis” in the United States, including what it calls the four main drivers of disease: poor diet, chemical exposure, lack of physical activity, chronic stress, and overmedication.
“The Trump Administration is mobilizing every part of government to confront the childhood chronic disease epidemic,” Kennedy said in a statement. “This strategy represents the most sweeping reform agenda in modern history — realigning our food and health systems, driving education, and unleashing science to protect America’s children and families. We are ending the corporate capture of public health, restoring transparency, and putting gold-standard science — not special interests — at the center of every decision.”
Here’s what the report means for you, your children, and the future of food in the U.S.
What exactly is the “Make Our Children Healthy Again” report?
To set your expectations, this report is more of a brief than a full report. It’s not about new laws, funding changes, or scientific discoveries. Instead, it provides a list of suggestions for future research and details upcoming research programs. For example, the report explains that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the National Institute of Health (NIH) will “develop a research and evaluation framework for cumulative exposure across chemical classes.”
It added, “This research will focus on using and developing new approach methodologies (NAMs), including advancing the use of computational tools. Additional EPA research will focus on using NAMs to improve methods for evaluating human health and environmental risks of chemical contaminants.”
So, while it outlines plans, it does not spell out the endgame by any measure. Here are seven key takeaways:
A government definition of “ultra-processed food” is coming with new dietary guidelines
The report states that the USDA, HHS, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will “continue efforts to develop a U.S. government-wide definition for ‘ultra-processed food’” to support research and potential policy work. It also explains that the USDA and HHS will collaborate to update the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans in a “concise, user-friendly format,” to align these recommendations with “current science and health data.” It should be noted that the guidelines are updated every five years, so this is expected news.
As part of the updated dietary guidelines, the agencies also plan to launch a public education campaign centered around “Food for Health,” which they say emphasizes how “proper nutrition prevents and can help reverse chronic diseases and maintain general health,” and “Real Food First,” to encourage people to prioritize “whole, minimally processed foods over packaged and highly processed alternatives.”
The FDA will continue targeting petroleum-based food dyes
Kennedy has long aimed to eliminate synthetic dyes from the American food supply. And this report is no different. It noted that the FDA will “advance and implement policies to limit or prohibit the use of petroleum-based food dyes (FD&C certified colors) in all food products approved in the U.S.” The USDA will also apply this policy framework to food served through federal nutrition programs, “especially the school lunch program.” The report added that the USDA and HHS will work together to develop “research and policies to support domestic agriculture production of plants used as natural color sources.”
The government wants to re-do food labels
The report highlights several areas where food packaging could be impacted in the future, including nutritional labeling. It states that the FDA will “consider revisions to its proposed Front-of-Package Nutrition Information rulemaking based on input received during the comment period and the forthcoming DGAs.” It also mentions that the agency will work toward developing a “potential” final rule for Front-of-Package Nutrition Information.
Food allergy disclosures might also be impacted. The report outlined a plan for the FDA to recommend transparency in disclosures of ingredients that affect certain health conditions, such as gluten for people with Celiac disease, and other “established food allergens.”
Early childhood nutrition is getting more new scrutiny
Families with infants, listen up: Your infant formula might look and taste different in the future. As the report states, the FDA will “modernize nutrient requirements for formula, increase testing for heavy metals and other contaminants to help ensure access to high-quality and healthy infant formula sold in the United States, and encourage companies to develop new infant formulas.”
The report also notes that the USDA and HHS will work to “increase breastfeeding rates” through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children or “other policies.” It added that the two agencies will also work to develop policies to “promote and ensure a safe supply of donor human milk.”
The report also stated that the Administration for Children and Families will partner with the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service to “promote healthy meals in child care settings through collaboration between USDA’s CACFP and ACF’s Child Care and Development Fund.” Importantly, the report does not mention any way that these programs or initiatives will provide families with funding to access healthy meals.
SNAP benefits could be changing
The report explained that the USDA will provide states with “technical assistance” in SNAP waiver development and “implementation to restrict the purchase of junk food and reorient the program towards better nutrition.” This is in line with what’s already happening in several states, including Texas and Florida, which will begin using the waiver program in 2026 to limit SNAP purchases of items like soda, candy, and desserts. As Kennedy previously shared, “These waivers help put real food back at the center of the program and empower states to lead the charge in protecting public health. I thank these governors who have stepped up to request waivers, and I encourage others to follow their lead. This is how we Make America Healthy Again.”
However, experts have mixed opinions on these waivers, including Kavelle Christie, a health policy and advocacy expert and director at the Center for Regulatory Policy and Health Innovation, who told Newsweek, “The issue isn’t about individuals misusing their benefits but their limited choices. In many rural areas and food deserts, convenience stores and fast-food chains are often the only available options … For many families, fresh produce and healthy meals are luxuries that are unattainable, not because they do not want these foods, but because they are unavailable or too expensive.”
Microplastics and forever chemicals are getting scrutinized too
While microplastics go behind just food, the things we eat and drink are a major source of human exposure. The report noted that the HHS, NIH, and EPA will “complete an evaluation of the risks and exposures of microplastics and synthetics, including in common products such as textiles.”
The report also says that the CDC, NIH, and EPA will work to update their guidelines on both fluoride and PFAS in water. However, the wording of this particular bullet point is confusing because it says that the “FDA will evaluate high-dose liquid drop and tablet (consumable) dosages indicated for children and remove unsafe products. FDA will also take action against unapproved products, often marketed as supplements,” without mentioning any plans related to PFAS.
In March, Utah became the first state to ban fluoride in its public drinking water. However, the CDC still considers water fluoridation one of the “10 great public health achievements of the 20th century” for saving millions in dental healthcare. “Communities of 1,000 or more people see an average estimated return on investment (ROI) of $20 for every $1 spent on water fluoridation,” the CDC states. “The ROI for community water fluoridation increases as the community size increases, but even small communities save money.”
Food is about to become far less regulated
The report includes a section on the administration’s plans to deregulate food, specifically mentioning that HHS, FDA, and USDA will “remove restrictions on whole milk sales in schools, allowing districts to offer full-fat dairy options alongside reduced-fat alternatives.”
It also states it will “remove barriers preventing small dairy operations from processing and selling their own milk products locally,” a project Kennedy has championed for some time, “eliminate zoning restrictions that prevent mobile grocery units from serving food deserts, fast-track permits for grocery stores in underserved areas,” and “work with grocers on sustainable incentive programs that provide fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruits and vegetables.”
The agencies also plan to “ease compliance while maintaining safety standards” for very small meat processors and offer support for mobile processing units that serve multiple small farms. They also intend to continue to “reform outdated and unnecessary food standards of identity that stifle innovation and no longer protect consumer interests due to the FDA concluding they are obsolete and unnecessary,” a move they already made in July.
What are experts saying?
While the report makes a lot of promises, many experts are sharing that it’s still far too light on details.
“The report has a lot of ideas for actions that really could improve health, but is short on specifics and weak on regulatory action,” Marion Nestle, a nutrition expert for New York University, shared with Scientific American. “Its overriding message is still ‘more research needed.’ It does not say nearly enough about what needs to be done to improve the diets of America’s children.”
Dr. Susan J. Kressly, the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, agreed, telling ABC that the report “lacks detail,” adding, “We also cannot ignore the fact that this report is being published in the context of other recent harmful actions by the Administration and Congress that undermine many of the report’s recommendations.”
Scott Faber, the head of government affairs for the Environmental Working Group, has perhaps the harshest feedback, sharing in a statement to Politico, “The May MAHA assessment described a hellscape of environmental toxins that were threatening the very existence of humanity. The September MAHA recommendations not only fail to address the harms posed by toxic chemicals in our food and water and air, but instead defend the current pesticide review system and suggest the real problem is we’re not approving new pesticides fast enough.”