MAHA kicks off with a healthy snack at a school in Virginia

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Ferdinand T. Day Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia, to kick off the first "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) public event.

This joint effort, reported exclusively by Fox News Digital, brought the secretaries together with students and cafeteria staff to discuss healthy food choices and strategies to improve child wellness.

The initiative is part of the MAHA Commission, created under the Trump administration by the USDA and HHS. It aims to address rising rates of diet-related diseases in children, such as obesity and diabetes.

According to the CDC, between 2017 and 2020, 19.7% of U.S. children and adolescents were obese, affecting 14.7 million young people aged 2 to 19 years. “This work will not only research and report the many reasons children face unbelievable rates of diet-related diseases like obesity and diabetes, but how government can implement change through things like revised dietary policy, state innovation, and less regulation," a press release sent to Fox News Digital said.

For his part, Secretary Kennedy used his X account to note that.

"I visited a local school in Virginia with my cabinet colleague @SecRollins to tour its innovative nutrition program. Wholesome meals play a critical role in boosting students’ academic performance and supporting their overall health. @HHSgov + @USDA are committed to working together to Make America Healthy Again."

Whole foods and farmer support

A key pillar of MAHA is promoting the consumption of whole foods from local farms. "Our farmers, ranchers, and producers dedicate their lives to growing the safest, most abundant food supply in the world, and we need to make sure our kids and families are consuming the healthiest food we produce,” Rollins said.

The secretary highlighted U.S. agriculture's role in combating the country's chronic health crisis.

In March, Rollins and Kennedy announced that the dietary guidelines for Americans 2025-2030 will be released ahead of schedule, a further step in their commitment to children's health.

In addition, the Healthy Kids Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025, discussed this week in the Senate Agriculture Committee, seeks to modify USDA's National School Lunch Program regulations, which currently require nonfat or low-fat, flavored or unflavored milk.

State support and new laws

Virginia's governor, Glenn Youngkin, was recognized for backing the MAHA movement. In the state, bills aligned with this vision have been introduced, such as banning baby foods with toxic heavy metals and eliminating seven color additives in public school meals.

Kennedy urged other governors to follow suit, encouraging "every governor to champion legislation that bans ultra-processed foods and dyes in public schools"