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States brace for surge in ‘Make America Healthy Again’ legislation

The chief executive officer of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture says states are preparing to see an uptick in Make America Healthy Again legislation in the next year.

Ted McKinney tells Brownfield “some states have already opened the time when legislators can file early bills, anticipating an early January legislative period. There is concern and question about what might come.”

McKinney says the MAHA movement has its positives, like encouraging people to be healthy by eating more fruits and vegetables, but it can also harm farmers and processors. 

“Some of the threats we’ve heard about pesticide removals or for goodness sake, I don’t understand how oilseeds are seen as posing any risk, but it’s out there.”

McKinney says NASDA was pleased with the policy proposals included in the updated MAHA Commission’s report, released earlier this month. He says policy recommendations from that report might also show up at the federal level in future executive orders or a Farm Bill 2.0.