WASHINGTON, DC, US — More than 250 food and agricultural groups, including grain and oilseed associations, in a letter dated June 17 requested the opportunity to provide input in future decisions made by the US government’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission.

The letter was addressed to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary for the US Department of Health and Human Services; Brooke Rollins, secretary for the US Department of Agriculture; and Lee Zeldin, administrator for the US Environmental Protection Agency.

“As organizations representing millions of farmers, ranchers, food producers and ingredient manufacturers, we write to urge you to ensure food and agriculture have a seat at the table during the development of policy recommendations related to the recent Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission report, as well as any future commission activities,” the letter said. “The process by which the commission’s most recent report was created lacked transparency and any opportunity for public engagement. As a result, the report contained numerous errors and distortions that have created unfounded fears about the safety of our food supply.”

The MAHA Commission on May 22 published a report that concluded American children will experience fewer childhood chronic diseases if they alter their diets away from ultra-processed foods, have their exposure to chemicals, including pesticides, reduced, and are not over medicated.

The industry groups’ letter noted a May 29 article from Notus that said while the MAHA Commission report cited over 500 studies, the citations contained errors ranging from broken website links to misstated conclusions. Seven of the cited sources did not appear to exist at all, according to the Notus article. The industry groups’ letter also noted an April 11 letter sent to Kennedy, Rollins and Zeldin from members of the US Congress. The letter urged the MAHA Commission to safeguard its work from activist groups promoting misguided policies, which could result in “shoddy” science, a less affordable food supply and poorer health outcomes.

The industry groups’ letter pointed to USDA data showing that US agriculture output has tripled since the 1940s while decreasing the total use of labor, land and inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides. Soil health practices such as reduced tillage and cover crops have increased in use, and innovations have allowed the United States to produce more food without converting environmentally sensitive lands like forest or prairies, according to the letter.

“Despite these successes, the MAHA Commission report paints a very different, inaccurate story about American agriculture and our food system,” the letter said. “The stakes are high going forward. The unintended consequences of making uninformed decisions for US food production based on misinformation or unproven theories would be sweeping for our nation’s farmers.

“It would lead to US producers increasingly falling behind our global competitors, making our country more reliant on foreign imports for our food supply. Further, America’s families would see food prices rise amid promises of a return to affordability.”

Among the 258 industry groups responsible for the letter were the American Soybean Association, the Corn Refiners Association, the National Corn Growers Association and the National Grain and Feed Association, National Oilseed Processors Association, and dozens of statewide groups.

“The MAHA Commission would benefit from inviting public comment and formally including representatives from food and agriculture in any future reports,” the letter said. “Greater transparency would prevent future misrepresentations based on poor or nonexistent sources. Grower and food production experts who work daily in food and agriculture would be a resource to corroborate claims or ideas.