The MAHA Movement: Cashing In on Health Myths

Sun Oct 26 2025 05:08:39 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Advocates of the 'Make America Healthy Again' (MAHA) movement are mixing business with anti-science policies, leading to potential harm in health regulations and practices.

The MAHA movement, backed by influential figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is driving a wave of legislation promoting wellness over science. While it claims to benefit public health, it's raising concerns due to its ties to the lucrative wellness industry and the promotion of potentially unsafe products, such as raw milk. Critics argue that this movement has morphed into a profitable enterprise, benefiting its leaders and corresponding businesses at the expense of public health.

In California this spring, two advisers to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke at a natural products trade show, promoting the goals of the 'Make America Healthy Again' (MAHA) movement.

They claimed their agenda would have positive financial impacts, particularly on the supplement and holistic health industries, indicating a strong profit motive behind these public health arguments.

Critics argue that this movement is heavily funded by well-heeled advocates, promoting anti-science legislation while selling potentially harmful products like raw milk. Their efforts are framed as grassroots, yet they play into a larger scheme that could undermine established health guidelines and consumer protections.

Among the significant policies promoted is the legal sale of raw milk, which many health officials advise against. With examples from Delaware and Missouri pushing legislation that could benefit local farmers economically, such policies are backed by industry proponents who have agendas potentially detrimental to public health.

The profit-driven motives of the movement's proponents became evident when examining the lucrative sums they make from their activism. Bigtree, a vocal figure in the MAHA movement, has received substantial payments from various groups supporting Kennedy's initiatives, raising questions on whether public health or personal profit is the true priority.

In summary, while the MAHA movement may seek to reframe public health narratives, it walks a precarious line of promoting wellness at the possible expense of consumer safety and established scientific understanding.