How the agriculture and food industries challenged MAHA heavyweights and reshaped RFK, Jr.’s ‘reform’ agenda

farmer tractor agriculture farm preview
Credit: PickPik (Public Domain)

In meeting after meeting at the White House this summer, administration officials held talks with scores of leaders from the food and agriculture industries. Farm officials accompanied Calley Means, a top adviser to Health Secretary and MAHA Commission leader Robert F. Kennedy Jr., on a visit to U.S. farm fields.

Companies and industry groups representing every link in the nation’s food supply chain moved with urgency. An initial assessment report released by the commission in May criticized products from pesticides to processed food, setting off alarm bells at big food and agriculture companies.

Mis- and disinformation are distorting science and public policy. Subscribe to our Daily and Weekly Digests for incisive coverage of ‘disruptive’ innovations in AI, agricultural biotechnology, food, chemicals, nuclear energy, vaccines, and other disruptive innovations.

After backlash from the agriculture industry, which criticized the report’s contents and a lack of engagement from the administration during its writing, the commission changed tack. As it drafted the follow-up report, the commission sought input from farmers, food makers and retailers. 

…

[The] follow-up report stopped short of seeking to rein in pesticide use. Instead it promised research on “cumulative exposure across chemical classes,” and ways that agricultural technology can help lower pesticide volumes. 

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here


Related Articles

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Does glyphosate—the world's most heavily-used herbicide—pose serious harm to humans? Is it carcinogenic? Those issues are of both legal and ...

Most Popular

Strawberry Clamshell with Warning Sticker
Viewpoint: Activists hype ‘dangerous level’ of pesticide residues in Driscoll berries: Separating health concerns from fear-mongering
ChatGPT-Image-Mar-10-2026-01_39_01-PM
Viewpoint—“Miracle molecule” debunked: Why acemannan supplements don’t work
Rustic Skillet of Raw Brains
‘Weird food’? Testicle- and brain-eating, supplement-gulping MAHA health food enthusiasts defend their ‘natural’ diets
Generations United for Immunization
Police raid Guinea-Bissau offices of RFK Jr.-backed vaccine researchers, seize hepatitis B doses
Magnifying Glass Highlights NIH Logo
Latest Trump administration proposal to change NIH research grant system draws scientists’ ire
Screenshot 2026-10-16 at 5.38
PFAS in Agriculture: Science, Uncertainty, and Risk Communication
Author-Presenting-Good-Energy
'Disillusioned': Controversial RFK Jr. ally and MAHA leader Calley Means quits Trump advisory role
Screenshot-2026-10-20-at-2.25.49-PM
RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine obsession and fear of MAHA derailed bird flu containment plan
Golden-GM-Emblem-with-EU-Stars
As Europe inches forward in its embrace of gene-edited crops, hopes abound that opposition to GMOs might fade
png_cheese_Raw_milk
100% raw milk, 100% misguided: As MAHA-fueled demand for unpasteurized milk soars, American Academy of Pediatrics renews call for a ban on its sale and distribution
Nutrition and Supplements Infinity Collage
Drugs and supplements can extend life and five other longevity myths
Screenshot-2026-10-19-at-12.04.51-PM
Victims of their own success: As memories of killer diseases fade, vaccine rejectionism soars
Diet Soda with Measuring Tape 2
Science challenges anti-soda activists: No, sodas won’t make you fat
glp menu logo outlined

Get news on human & agricultural genetics and biotechnology delivered to your inbox.