By Annie Gasparro and Jacob Bunge

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "Make America Healthy Again" mantra sounds simple. Food and agriculture leaders warned that reality is more complicated -- and the stakes are high for the U.S. food supply.

The MAHA movement argues that a heavily consolidated and industrialized U.S. food industry is the central factor in Americans' high rates of chronic illness. Kennedy and his allies are ratcheting up federal scrutiny on ultra-processed foods, artificial dyes, food additives and pesticides.

Chuck Magro, chief executive of pesticide and crop seed giant Corteva Agriscience, said at WSJ's Global Food Forum in Chicago this week that agricultural chemicals are rigorously studied before farmers can spray them on fields. "Some of these products have had 100 reviews, from a safety perspective," he said.

Corteva has some naturally-derived alternatives in the works, but Magro said the chemicals currently used remain critical to American food production. "Farmers need those tools. This notion that they can farm without these products, it's just not accurate," he said.

Kevin Hall, who spent years as a scientist at the National Institutes of Health, said he is concerned that the MAHA movement is targeting ingredients and additives that might not be the culprit in the health problems Americans are facing.

"If we pretend that focusing on color additives is really going to turn a product that is high in added sugars into a health product because we've removed certain chemical additives, I don't buy it," Hall said at the Journal event.

In April, Kennedy unveiled measures to eliminate synthetic dyes in food, including Red 40, Blue 1 and 2, and others. The nation's top health official has also taken aim at a decades-old system of regulating food additives, which could impact additional ingredients that thicken, flavor and preserve foods.

Hall said that he left the NIH this year over concerns that scientific nuance would be overlooked in favor of conclusions that aligned with senior Trump administration leaders' views. "My concern is that they're not interested in the science," Hall said. "They're interested in a preconceived narrative, and any science that complicates that narrative is viewed as problematic."

The FDA had begun reviewing the use of some chemicals under the Biden administration. A year ago, the agency stopped allowing the use of brominated vegetable oil in food -- the result of an effort to prioritize reassessing the safety of food ingredients as new data become available.

The MAHA movement is resonating with consumers. Most Americans think ultra-processed foods should have warning labels on them, said Dan Frommer, founder and editor in chief of the New Consumer, citing a survey of more than 3,000 people. People increasingly are looking to drink water without fluoride and avoid seed oils and microplastics.

Still, Frommer said at the Journal event, what people say they aim to eat and what they actually do eat are very different.

Food companies are acting on some issues targeted by the MAHA movement. Kraft Heinz said this week it would remove artificial dyes from its U.S. products before the end of 2027, and General Mills said that it would do likewise with "certified colors."

Hormel Foods Chief Executive Jim Snee said at the Journal event that some MAHA-associated health trends, such as an increased focus on protein, are benefiting Hormel's business; the company makes Skippy peanut butter, Planters nuts and Jennie-O ground turkey. He said that debates over ingredients and processing need to also include affordability and shelf life.

"Having shelf life helps with affordability," Snee said. Over time, Snee said, new technology and cooking processes could allow Hormel to replace some processing and ingredients.

Some business leaders said they welcomed the MAHA movement's overall aims.

"I love that we're putting pressure on the industrial food system, that we are actually opening up the conversation about food," said Jeni Britton, founder of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, speaking at the Journal event. Still, she said she doesn't agree with all of the MAHA movement's claims.

"Every ingredient is debatable in the internet world," she said.

Write to Annie Gasparro at annie.gasparro@wsj.com and Jacob Bunge at jacob.bunge@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 19, 2025 08:00 ET (12:00 GMT)

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