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6d ago

MAHA Children’s Health Plan Draws Fire for Omissions and Lack of Teeth

Critics say it prioritizes process over policy, with little clarity on money or enforcement.

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little school kid boy eating cereals with milk and berries, fresh strawberry for breakfast or lunch. Healthy eating for children, schoolkids. At school canteen or at home. Selective focus
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Overview

  • The White House released the MAHA commission’s final 73-page report and a 20-page strategy memo led by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., diagnosing diet, chemical exposures, inactivity, screen time, sleep issues, stress and overmedication as key problems.
  • The documents exclude gun violence, smoking and climate change and give scant attention to sugar-sweetened beverages, lead, poverty, systemic racism and food marketing to children, experts told CNN and Washington Monthly.
  • Action items lean toward research and guidance rather than rules, with ultra-processed food policy limited to crafting a government-wide definition, prompting assessments that the plan is promises with no teeth.
  • Public-health leaders say the agenda conflicts with administration moves, citing cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, elimination of CDC chronic-disease programs, proposed deep NIH reductions, and education and after-school funding rollbacks reported this summer.
  • Beyond headline items, the strategy references increasing breastfeeding and donor milk access, updating sunscreen oversight, allowing whole milk in schools and easing rules for small dairies, exploring 'MAHA boxes' for SNAP recipients, and a Surgeon General education effort on alcohol, vaping and THC.