A new White House report warns that America’s diet is a “nutritional disaster” that is fueling preventable chronic disease among children. The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission released its latest strategy, Make Our Children Healthy Again, led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But experts say the plan overlooks proven solutions—while simultaneous budget cuts threaten to make the problem worse.
What the report gets right
The MAHA Commission emphasizes key drivers of poor children’s health:
- Nutrient-poor diets
- Lack of physical activity
- Poor sleep and excessive screen time
- Exposure to chemicals and stress
Nutrition researchers agree these issues are critical. Dr. Walter Willett of Harvard noted that improving diet quality and encouraging physical activity are essential to reversing chronic disease trends in children.
Where the strategy falls short
Despite acknowledging the crisis, critics argue the report fails to address the root causes.
- Cuts to nutrition support programs: The administration has proposed reducing funds for WIC and SNAP, two of the most effective safety nets for ensuring children’s access to healthy food.
- Weakened health coverage: Cuts to Medicaid could limit access to checkups and preventive care, worsening inequities in children’s health.
- Overlooked leading threats: Experts noted the report fails to address issues like firearm injuries, the leading cause of death in U.S. children, or systemic contributors like poverty and racism.
- Dismissed nutrition science: Recommendations from the 2025 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which urged Americans to cut back on red and processed meats and increase plant-based proteins, appear to have been ignored.
America’s “abysmal diet”
Children in the U.S. get nearly two-thirds of their calories from ultraprocessed foods, according to the CDC. This pattern has been linked to rising rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and depression among young people.
A major 2025 review found just one extra serving of ultraprocessed food daily was linked to a 50% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and significantly higher risks of diabetes, obesity, and sleep disorders.
Despite this evidence, the MAHA report only briefly mentions ultraprocessed foods and stops short of proposing strong policy measures, like soda taxes or restrictions on junk food marketing to children.
Expert concerns
Many nutrition and health experts say the MAHA report prioritizes “pet peeves” over science. Critics point out that the report emphasizes minor issues like food dyes and seed oils while downplaying well-documented drivers of disease such as sugar, sodium, alcohol, and tobacco.
Marion Nestle, a leading food policy expert, summarized the frustration: “The big issue for me is what are they going to do about food marketing to children? Billions are spent targeting kids with junk food ads, and all this report offers is ‘exploring potential guidelines.’ That’s not enough.”
The bottom line
While the 2025 children’s health report acknowledges America’s diet crisis, experts warn that weak policy, budget cuts, and missed opportunities undermine its potential impact. Without stronger commitments to proven strategies—like supporting WIC and SNAP, restricting unhealthy food marketing, and addressing social determinants of health—the outlook for U.S. children remains troubling.
