Robert F. Kennedy Jr, released a much-anticipated report on children’s health this week. The “Maha commission” report, stemming from the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, was mandated by a presidential executive order in February and examines chronic illness among children. It highlights five key areas: ultra-processed foods, exposure to environmental chemicals, lack of physical activity, “overmedicalisation”, and regulatory capture by industries.
++ Elon Musk reaffirms commitment to Tesla amid political backlash and expanding ventures
The report notably overlooks some common causes of childhood death and chronic illness, such as road accidents and firearm injuries, while questioning well-established public health measures like water fluoridation. It also fails to mention significant changes to the US health system under Kennedy’s tenure that critics say favour industry interests, including the closure of smoking prevention offices and cuts to school food programmes promoting healthy meals.
Many of the report’s concerns reflect Kennedy’s longstanding views, with particular attention to chemicals like PFAS and food additives, some of which remain scientifically contentious. For example, it suggests a link between vaccines and chronic disease without providing robust evidence. The report has sparked criticism from various quarters, while also potentially uniting unlikely allies opposed to pesticides and ultra-processed foods.
++ Nature’s horrors: the most haunting fungi found in the UK
The commission’s membership includes heads of several government departments, but the report’s actual authors remain unnamed, contradicting Kennedy’s earlier promise of “radical transparency”. Given the influence of powerful food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries in the US, meaningful policy changes recommended in the report face an uphill battle, particularly in an administration focused on deregulation.
