Make America Healthy Again? SNAP cuts and rising food prices threaten nutrition security, experts flag

The impact of President Donald Trump’s administration on US nutrition policy remains uncertain. Nutrition Insight examines the latest developments surrounding nutrition security as the new head of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr., targets children’s health, food prices continue to rise amid the delayed farm bill, healthy labeling rules remain stalled, and corporate interests push back against ultra-processed food regulations.

Marion Nestle, Emerita professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University, tells us about the political climate shaping US health policy.

“The quick answer — we don’t know yet. Trump administration appointees have just started their work. They have made statements and promises but no actions so far.”

Make Children Healthy Again Strategy 

The White House has flagged six in ten Americans having at least one chronic disease and four in ten having two or more. A recent executive order on the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission outlines the first steps in targeting children’s health.

Kennedy will chair the commission to advise Trump on the childhood chronic disease crisis. By studying this issue, it will also submit a final Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy around mid-August, identifying issues, potential overuse of medication, and solutions to prevent the diseases.

With the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), we previously examined how SNAP cuts undermine Healthy America goals, risking hunger for children and minority groups. 

Its deputy director, Joelle Johnson, underscored: “These cuts underscore some of the fundamental contradictions that define the rhetoric around MAHA. You have cabinet officials talking about MAHA, addressing chronic health issues, and improving childhood nutrition. And yet Congress is moving forward with plans to cut benefits and put high barriers in place to prevent people from accessing healthy, nutritious food.”

In the US state of Kentucky, Senator Shelley Funke Frommeyer recently introduced a resolution to establish an MAHA task force to improve health outcomes across the Commonwealth.

“Our health is our greatest asset, and it’s time we take bold steps to reclaim it,” says Frommeyer. “With some of the highest obesity and chronic disease rates in the nation, Kentucky must prioritize nutrition, fitness, and smart policies that empower individuals to make healthier choices.”

“The MAHA movement is about giving Kentuckians the tools and freedom to take charge of their well-being, and this task force is a vital step toward a healthier, stronger Commonwealth.”

She hopes the task force will help change diets and lifestyles to reduce chronic diseases, expand public awareness of healthy nutrition, lower exposure to environmental pollution, and enable more public input on developing state health policies.

Kennedy’s team will create a Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy by mid-August (Image credit: www.mahanow.org).The Food Research & Action Center has also published a state-by-state analysis of how cuts to SNAP would harm children, older adults, veterans, and rural communities.

Research funding and government responsibility

Under the executive order, the government also seeks to tackle mental health disorders, obesity, and chronic diseases by ensuring federally funded health research “empowers Americans through transparency and open-source data.”

According to a piece published in JAMA last year by Boston University professors, Project 2025 — a “conservative blueprint” for Republican administration — is an “antiscience, antidata, and antimedicine agenda that would have serious consequences for healthcare and public health.”

Meanwhile, Nestle is “impressed by the enormous pushback against the concept of ultra-processed foods, which is a tribute to its power. Because these are the most profitable products, food companies want their sales to continue to increase. Kennedy says he wants to MAHA by reducing consumption of these foods, but we do not yet know how he plans to do this.”

Also, the administration has fired thousands of US health workers and FDA employees. “HHS is following the administration’s guidance and taking action to support the President’s broader efforts to restructure and streamline the federal government,” an HHS spokesperson said in a statement. “This is to ensure that HHS better serves the American people at the highest and most efficient standard.”

Nestle underlines that the “government’s role is to promote the health of the population” and that it should take a bigger role in fighting diet-related diseases. “The private sector’s goal is profit, not public health.”

Healthy label delay

Last week, the US FDA delayed the “healthy” labeling final rule amid Trump’s regulatory freeze, which was supposed to be effective on 25 February. A notice signed by Kennedy says the delay will last two months, until the end of April.

FDA delayed the “healthy” labeling final rule amid Trump’s regulatory freeze.CSPI Director of Regulatory Affairs Sarah Sorscher believes that the “move will not change the date that companies must comply, but it could signal that the Secretary may have an interest in reopening the regulation to change the definition, a move that would likely delay implementation of the rule.”

“Rather than reopen this rulemaking, Kennedy would have a greater impact if he moved forward to implement the rule on front-of-package nutrition labeling proposed by the FDA in January, which requires that packaged foods bear labels prominently disclosing whether they are high, medium, or low in sodium, added sugars, and saturated fat.”

The Infectious Disease Advisor flags that Trump’s administration has cut funding by ~US$1 billion this year for National Institutes of Health research. This has raised alarm across institutions working on cancer, diabetes, and heart disease research.

Rising prices

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, inflation has risen 3% over the past year, increasing the cost of essentials like food, housing, and energy. Grocery prices have also increased by 2.5% over the past year, with grocery costs rising 0.5% in January.

People’s Action conference denouncing billionaires at Capitol Hill (Image credit: Bora Chung at Survival Media Agency).Nestle considers how changes in farm policies, such as subsidies or stricter rules, can impact food prices and access.

“Subsidies generally stimulate the production of subsidized commodities. Their effects on prices are indirect. Everything that is happening seems to be raising prices. The Farm Bill sets the rules, and we are still far from having one passed.”

Johnson of CSPI says the Budget Resolution passed by the House of Representatives would “drastically weaken federal nutrition programs that millions of Americans rely on.”

“It is appalling that, when grocery prices are already too high, House Republicans’ response is to propose curtailing access to free and reduced-price school meals, limiting access to the SNAP program and benefits…What’s worse is that these draconian cuts to programs that support the most vulnerable will be used to pay for a massive tax break for the rich.”

At the same time, non-profit People’s Action members across the US gathered at Capitol Hill to denounce billionaire theft funds that they claim are meant for families and communities. They called on D.C. lawmakers, saying cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, Medicare, and Title 1 will harm their health and education rights.

We also examined Sharon Parrot, president of the think tank Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, warning that the proposed budget cuts are an “upside-down plan that prioritizes the wealthy and well-connected over families for whom the cost of health care, college, and food is a major concern.”