Farm Action joined a broad coalition of 10 MAHA-aligned organizations urging Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to use the agency’s substantial food purchasing power to provide healthier meals across its programs.
In a joint letter and memo, the coalition—including Alliance for Natural Health U.S.A., Center for Food Safety, Children’s Health Defense, Farm Action, Friends of the Earth U.S., Global Wellness Forum, Green Med Info, Moms Across America, Stand for Health Freedom, and United We Eat—called on HHS to prioritize organic, minimally processed, and pasture-raised foods in the Indian Health Service, Head Start, senior nutrition programs, and federal cafeterias.
This shift would improve public health while supporting independent farmers and rural economies, and enable HHS to model healthier purchasing standards for other major federal foodservice operations like the U.S. military and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
To drive meaningful change, the coalition recommended setting clear purchasing targets—such as dedicating a minimum of 15% of total food purchases to certified organic and pasture-raised products and ensuring that 30% of cafeteria entrees are scratch-cooked with whole ingredients by 2028. The memo also urges HHS to pilot MAHA-aligned menus in select cafeterias, coordinate across agencies, and invest in research to address supply-chain and cost barriers.
By taking these steps, HHS can advance MAHA’s goals, improve public health, and strengthen markets for small- and mid-sized farmers producing healthier foods.
