‘Healthy snack time’ with elementary school students launched by Secretaries Rollins, RFK Jr.
'First-ever' public MAHA event occurred at Virginia elementary school
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FIRST ON FOX - USDA Secretary Brooke L. Rollins and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. met with elementary students in Alexandria, Virginia, for a "healthy snack time" on Thursday — marking a first-ever public "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) event as part of a joint and committed effort, Fox News Digital has been told exclusively.
The secretaries met with students and cafeteria staff at Ferdinand T. Day Elementary School to talk about healthy food choices and improving children's wellness.
"As part of the MAHA Commission led by Secretary Kennedy, 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," said a press release sent exclusively to Fox News Digital.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The MAHA Commission was initiated by HHS and USDA in the current Trump administration to advance a variety of initiatives and work with states on legislation to make schools healthier for America's children.
From 2017 to 2020, the prevalence of obesity among U.S. children and adolescents was 19.7%, with 14.7 million children aged 2–19 years having obesity, according to the CDC.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}USDA Secretary Brooke L. Rollins and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. met with students and cafeteria staff in Alexandria, Virginia, on Thursday for "healthy snack time" as part of a new series of MAHA initiatives. (USDA/HHS)
Sec. Rollins and Sec. Kennedy announced in March they would be releasing the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans report ahead of its deadline.
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An initiative of the MAHA Commission is promoting whole and healthy foods sourced from local farms.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The two secretaries met with cafeteria staff at Ferdinand T. Day Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia, this week. (USDA/HHS)
"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," said Sec. Rollins in the release sent to Fox News Digital. "There is a chronic health problem in our country, and American agriculture is at the core of the solution."
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The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act 2025 would revise requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing on the topic earlier this week.
An initiative of the MAHA Commission is promoting whole and healthy foods sourced from local farms in America. (USDA/HHS)
Current USDA regulations require milk in schools to be fat-free or low-fat and allow milk to be flavored or unflavored.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin was acknowledged for supporting the MAHA movement, as a variety of bills have been put forward in the Old Dominion state.
Banning "ultra-processed foods and dyes in public schools" is a step that "every governor" in the country should take, said the secretaries this week. (iStock)
Bills such as those prohibiting people from selling baby food that contains toxic heavy metals to those prohibiting public schools from offering meals with seven color additives are connected to the broader MAHA movement.
Sec. Kennedy said in the release this week that he "encourages every governor to champion legislation that bans ultra-processed foods and dyes in public schools."
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The event on Thursday "was an opportunity to learn more about the impact that federally funded nutrition programs have on children and signaled [the secretaries'] strong partnership to work together to effectuate their vision for a healthier America," the release noted.