Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. released a sweeping plan on September 9 aimed at tackling childhood chronic disease, unveiling more than 120 proposals that could reshape food regulation and public health programs nationwide.
The “Make Our Children Healthy Again” strategy, produced by the Make America Healthy Again commission, calls for new dietary guidelines, stricter limits on synthetic food dyes, modernized infant formula standards and changes to federal food assistance programs.
Kennedy said the Trump administration is “mobilizing every part of government to confront the childhood chronic disease epidemic,” calling the plan the “most sweeping reform agenda in modern history.”
The report arrives at a time when racial disparities in children’s health remain stark. Black children experience asthma at nearly double the rate of white children — 16 percent compared with nine percent — according to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Advocates say the report’s proposals, if carried out, could help narrow some of these disparities. But critics warn the document is heavy on research suggestions and light on specific policy steps or funding commitments.
A CDC data brief shows nearly one in five Black children lived in food-insecure households in 2019–2020, compared with about six percent of white children.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture found in its Household Pulse Survey that about 30 percent of black households with children reported not having enough to eat during parts of 2022. Researchers have also found that black and other minority youths are about twice as likely as white peers to face major chronic diseases.
The plan directs federal agencies to develop a government-wide definition of “ultra-processed food” and to align the next Dietary Guidelines for Americans with current science. It also calls for a public education campaign around whole foods and healthier diets.
The Food and Drug Administration is asked to phase out petroleum-based food dyes in all approved products, with the Department of Agriculture applying the same rule to school meals. The FDA would also update food labeling rules, including the front-of-package nutrition information and stronger disclosures of allergens.
For infants, the FDA plans to modernize formula requirements and increase testing for contaminants. The report also urges expanding breastfeeding support and ensuring safe access to donor milk.
The strategy signals possible changes for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The USDA will give states technical help to pursue waivers that restrict purchases of soda, candy and desserts, while shifting benefits toward healthier options.
Some states, including Texas and Florida, already plan to use such waivers by 2026. Kennedy praised the idea, saying waivers “help put real food back at the center of the program and empower states to lead the charge in protecting public health.”
But health policy experts caution that families in food deserts may be left with few affordable alternatives.
The report also calls for federal reviews of microplastics, PFAS chemicals and fluoride levels in water. At the same time, it outlines deregulation steps, including loosening restrictions on whole milk sales in schools, fast-tracking permits for grocery stores in underserved communities and reducing compliance burdens for small meat processors.
Despite its broad scope, the report offers little detail on how the government will pay for or enforce these changes. It mostly outlines future research and interagency coordination.
Still, child health advocates say that even symbolic attention to chronic disease matters. With Black children disproportionately facing asthma, food insecurity and diet-related illness, the outcome of these proposals could carry significant weight.
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