From the community | MAHA is worsening nutrition insecurity — ‘Food is Medicine’ can do better

Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has named ultra-processed foods a leading cause of increased rates of chronic disease in children, according to the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) strategy report. The report coincides with historical cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), reducing funding by roughly 20%. Of those who receive SNAP benefits, it’s estimated about 40% are children. In addition, major cuts were also made to the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, with a two-thirds reduction in fruit and vegetable benefits.RFK has focused less on the overall consequences of these cuts and more on what beneficiaries are purchasing with funds. Budget cuts are accompanied by new food restriction waivers banning the purchase of non-nutritious items like soda and candy to “strengthen integrity and restore nutritional value within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program” according to the Food and Nutrition Service website. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins stated in a recent news release, “With these new waivers, we are empowering states to lead, protecting our children from the dangers of highly-processed foods, and moving one step closer to the President’s promise to Make America Healthy Again.” The shift in focus from these massive benefit cuts by emphasizing the high rates of SNAP purchasing of ultra-processed foods as justification, grossly misses the mark.A 2024 article estimates about 50% of SNAP recipients experience food insecurity at some point in a given year. Ultra-processed foods are both cheaper and higher in calories than most high quality, whole food alternatives. For those experiencing food insecurity, hunger and limited access to resources, purchasing ultra-processed foods is not only a matter of preference but a matter of practicality to stretch benefits and avoid hunger. Although these social programs were designed to supplement household groceries, benefit amounts even prior to the cuts aren’t enough to adequately supplement grocery costs for most household incomes. A 2024 analysis found the average cost per meal allocated by SNAP to be $2.84, 20% lower than the average cost of a “modest meal.”MAHA’s policy action to reduce ultra-processed foods is a failed and oversimplified articulation of a more complex issue: nutrition insecurity. Americans who benefit from social programs like SNAP and WIC are not only food insecure, they’re often nutrition insecure. Nutrition insecurity is defined as “the lack of consistent or equitable access to nutritious, safe, and culturally appropriate foods” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And despite recent policy shifts away from food initiatives like SNAP and WIC, research has established “Food is Medicine” interventions as a feasible solution to treating, reducing and preventing disease. “Food is Medicine” includes a range of nutrition interventions for patients with health conditions such as dia Read More