In January 2019, when I was 36, I received a diagnosis of metastatic cancer. Among all the uncertainties about my health, one persistent question lingered: “Why did this happen?”
Now, with President Trump’s initiative to revive health in America, there’s a focused effort to pinpoint the underlying causes of chronic diseases affecting young people, particularly children.
The recent report from the MAHA Committee offers a historical overview of the growing crisis. It underscores how a few dominant companies in our food system have shaped the American diet, leading to a surge in chronic illnesses. It’s crucial, the report argues, that American farmers are central to America’s health strategies. As someone who’s part of a family farm that’s been in operation for six generations, I wholeheartedly concur.
While farmers play a significant role in providing accessible food, a disproportionate amount of the financial gains from their efforts goes to large food corporations, processors, and retailers. This core concentration of power has weakened rural economies and shifted our diets towards government-subsidized, heavily processed foods, contributing to an uptick in chronic diseases.
This predicament has roots in years of unchecked mergers and acquisitions. A small number of firms now control most U.S. food production, impacting what farmers grow and how consumers eat. What we really need is funding for sustainable local food systems and robust antitrust regulations.
The government, being the largest food purchaser, should prioritize spending on producers who employ regenerative, organic, and grass-fed methods. Additionally, enhanced international meat labeling could help dismantle monopolistic practices, fostering a system where farmers can once again provide for their local communities.
The MAHA report highlights how corporate interests have swayed public policies in favor of industry rather than public health. To counter this, we must reject legislative efforts that shield pesticides from scrutiny. I am against current proposals that strip local authorities of their regulatory powers. It’s also necessary to reform the USDA’s product check-off program, as many oppose the MAHA Committee’s initiatives. Furthermore, implementing mandatory cooling-off periods for personnel transitioning between USDA and agribusiness firms is critical.
It’s essential to remove conflicts of interest as the administration prepares for its health assessment in 2026. Meanwhile, we can reduce dependency on multinational chemical firms by focusing on diverse, low-input systems like organic and regenerative agriculture, which can yield equal or even higher productivity and profitability than traditional models. Practices such as cover cropping and composting can enhance soil health and resilience. With the right policies, these approaches could be foundational in promoting better health through our food systems.
If we want more nutritious food in our diets, government investment is crucial. Presently, taxpayer-funded farm programs favor the production of commodity crops like corn and soybeans. This creates difficulties for farmers looking to grow more nutritious options such as fruits and vegetables, which often get sidelined as “special crops.” These policies compromise food security and contribute to our growing agricultural trade deficit, forcing us to rely on imports for these essential foods.
The crops that the government subsidizes with taxpayer money are the ones that become most available to the public—and unfortunately, these are mainly processed foods and animal feed.
As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. noted, “A healthy person has a thousand dreams; a sick person has only one.” I resonate deeply with this statement. It is vital for our nation’s future that elected officials set aside political divides, minimize excessive corporate influence, and prioritize American farmers in fostering our nation’s health instead of prioritizing profits.
Angela Huffman is co-founder and president of Farm Action. She has dedicated 15 years to reforming food and agriculture policy while managing her sixth-generation family farm in Ohio.
