What RFK Jr. & the MAHA Movement Get Right—and Wrong—About Food, Nutrition, and Public Health Reform

In the Season 3 premiere of The Business of Wellness, host Jaclyn London, MS, RD, dives deep into the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, spearheaded by RFK Jr., nominee for Secretary of Health. With her unique expertise as a registered dietitian, consultant, and author, Jaclyn unpacks the promises, pitfalls, and scientific inaccuracies in MAHA’s approach to food, nutrition, and public health.

Jaclyn brings her professional insight into the broader systemic issues behind America’s rising rates of chronic disease and why focusing on food additives, seed oils, and GMO crops distracts from meaningful public health solutions. She also explores how media narratives, wellness influencers, and Washington’s incentive structure fuel confusion about food and health.

In this episode, Jaclyn breaks down:

• The MAHA movement’s stated goals, including transparency in food production, promoting regenerative agriculture, and reforming the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

• The science (or lack thereof) behind claims about artificial food dyes, glyphosate, seed oils, and ultra-processed foods.

• Why removing artificial ingredients from products won’t solve America’s public health crisis.

• Free-market, bipartisan approaches to solving America's health crisis 

Listen to Learn:

• What MAHA’s critiques of Big Food and Big Pharma get right—and wrong—about food and health.

• Why food additives, seed oils, and GMO crops are NOT the root causes of America’s chronic disease crisis (and where to look instead...)

• How media, Big Tech, Big Wellness, and policy incentives create confusion about food and nutrition.

• Evidence-based, free-market solutions to improve health that could gain bipartisan support.

• The critical role of dietitians and practitioners in connecting science, policy, and consumer behavior.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Intro to Season 3 and RFK Jr.’s MAHA Movement

• 04:57 – Behind RFK Jr.’s nutrition philosophy and Jaclyn’s unique perspective

• 11:31 – MAHA’s goals: Transparency, Big Food, and Dietary Guidelines reform

• 20:31 – Where concerns about food additives come from

• 28:32 – Individual experiences vs. public health science

• 31:11 – The erosion of trust in public health institutions and food safety

• 38:14 – Global nutrition policy vs. America’s food culture