In December 2024, the US Senate launched a Make America Healthy Again caucus, an initiative spearheaded by Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Rick Scott (R-FL), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Ron Johnson (R-WI) to support the initiatives of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his role as secretary of Health and Human Services.
After Kennedy’s confirmation in February, the caucus got straight to work on MAHA initiatives.
So far, Kennedy has announced the implementation of new policies such as the ban of artificial food dyes, and has said he is determined to end the chronic disease epidemic in America.
"I'm proud to be a member of the Senate MAHA Caucus. It’s critical that we keep working with President Trump and Secretary Kennedy to help address America's chronic disease epidemic and lower youth obesity. I’m excited about the passion I’m hearing for Making America Healthy Again,” Lummis told Townhall in an emailed statement.
Similar to Lummis, Johnson is looking forward to the changes in the food industry brought by these new policies and studies.
“That’s the first step, making sure that science has integrity and you can rely on it as far as conclusions that are drawn from particular studies…I'm hoping that when we have that science, the marketplace takes over, that we don't have to dictate from the federal government, that people now are educated,” Johnson said in a telephone interview with Townhall.
For starters, Johnson recommends that in order to restore integrity to food labeling, independent private sector certification companies should start certifying organic products. Through independent private sector certification, it’s easier to ensure that nobody is cheating the system and buying off the certifiers, he said.
Additionally, Johnson contends that something that will take the MAHA movement far is that the public is the driving force of it.
“The good news is, in order to drive any kind of legislation or change any kind of public policy, you need the public behind in this case, the public is leading the way. They're not going behind this movement. They are ahead of us, and they are pushing us to do this. So I think it's going to be very easy to mobilize the public,” said Johnson.
Johnson recognizes that with the MAHA movement, healthier options will become more apparent to the country.
“Maybe avocado oil is a whole lot healthier for you than seed oils, or whole milk is not that bad and it’s actually good… I'm not saying that definitively, but if it comes out that the science shows that that's the proper direction, then I hope consumers will drive the food companies to provide the product in a free market…Even though things like organic food may be expensive today, when there's more demand for it, there may be a better distribution system for it, and a better, more efficient way of growing it… and you might be able to get healthier whole foods and more organic foods at a much cheaper price, so more people can afford it….I hope to be able to rely on the marketplace and educated consumers doing the lion's share of making America healthy, with guidance, with science, and with integrity.”
Johnson is confident that through MAHA initiatives, costs for healthy alternatives can become less expensive, and more accessible for everyone.
“It has to be done through the marketplace where you with the information dietary science, we create a greater demand for it. We have greater supply. Supply equals demand, and the prices stabilize and become pretty reasonable anytime you have a niche product. And right now, organic is a niche. I was in a niche business myself. You can charge more for niche products,” said Johnson.
One such alternative that has gained national attention in the recent months is beef tallow.
Jonathan Campos, Corporate Chef at Brass Rabbit Pub in Arlington, VA, said he believes in the importance of healthier cooking alternatives. At Brass Rabbit, the kitchen cooks exclusively with beef tallow, rather than processed oils.
“People used to think beef tallow was bad for people. But people like my grandfather and my grandmother back in those years used it, and they lived for over a hundred years. So I was like, there’s got to be something that makes people believe that it's not healthy. I started reading. What it's not healthy for people is some of the additives put in it, not the pure beef tallow,” said Campos.
Some of these unhealthy additives include sugar. At Brass Rabbit, a little bit of salt, pepper and fresh parsley is all that is added to the beef tallow used for cooking, said Campos. Not only is beef tallow healthier, but also more flavorful, making for a better customer experience, despite it being more expensive than oil alternatives, he continued.
“Big restaurants that will go for canola oil because they are trying to save as much money as they can… And when you use those types of oil, a batch can last you for a whole week to cook with… You can’t do that with beef tallow, you have to change it every two days because the flavors start going bad,” said Campos.
While many restaurants opt to use cheaper alternatives such as liquid eggs in their cooking, Campos has said that Brass Rabbit will never compromise their quality for cost.
“Liquid eggs cost half of the price of fresh eggs. So even though that could be an option for us, we are never going to use that option, because I believe one hundred percent that the eggs are not going to be at a high price for the rest of our life,” Campos said.
“At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how much money you can save in your life, because once you're sick, you're going to spend all that money to try and fix that. And you're not going to be happy. Take care of your health.”