MAHA faithful still divided over priorities after report

• But it left some die-hard Kennedy supporters frustrated at the lack of a crackdown on pesticides.

What they're saying: "We are deeply disappointed that the committee allowed the chemical companies to influence the report," Moms Across America founder Zen Honeycutt said in a statement.

• "This MAHA Commission and strategy is going to declare war on ultra-processed foods," top MAHA influencer Vani Hari, known online as the Food Babe, predicted on Fox News.
• That would, in turn, affect nutrition programs, school lunches and more, she said.

Go deeper: The strategy plan was a follow-up to a May report from the commission that blamed factors including bad diets, chemical exposure and unnecessary medication for causing childhood chronic illness.

• The final version contains many details in a draft report that was leaked last month.

MAHA has appeared fractured at times over competing priorities including cleaning up the food supply, animal testing and limiting vaccine access.

• The report put off some key decisions, saying the White House Domestic Policy Council and Health and Human Services will collaborate on a vaccine framework that includes policies for "modernizing American vaccines" and "ensuring scientific and medical freedom."
• It also calls for a working group to evaluate prescribing patterns for behavioral health drugs in kids, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers and stimulants.
• This has been a focal point for Kennedy, who has espoused the idea the drugs are overprescribed and harming children.

The report solidified some of Kennedy's pet causes including autism, vaccine injury and prescribing patterns in mental health drugs for kids. It also seeks to elevate priorities such as microplastics, food additives and farming practices.

• And it called for more research in areas like repurposing old drugs for new ailments, deploying AI and funding studies into pediatric chronic diseases.
• But it mostly reiterates actions Kennedy has already taken, including updating the "Generally Recognized as Safe" regulations followed by food makers and coming up with a new definition for ultra-processed foods.

Some MAHA-aligned influencers praised the document.

• "I am happy with this," said Rob Houton of Mobilizing Accountability in Congress for a Healthier America, pointing specifically to the call for reduced reliance on animal testing, the study of electromagnetic testing and calls for greater food transparency.
• But on agriculture, a major target of Kennedy's base, the report didn't crack down on pesticides, instead calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure the public is aware of and has confidence in the federal pesticide review procedures.
• It calls for EPA and the National Institutes of Health to research cumulative chemical exposures, including from pesticides, but notably steered away from regulatory requirements.
• "We are curious to see if the 'MAHA strategy elements' will, over time, include glyphosate, atrazine and the thousands of pesticides that are harming our children's health," Honeycutt said.

Medical professionals roundly criticized the report, predicting it wouldn't bring substantive change.

• "What this says to me is that the first report was written by MAHA," Jerold Mande, an adjunct professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told Time. "The second one, the White House let industry lobbyists write it."