The MAHA Report Addresses the Chronic Childhood Disease Crisis with a Generation at Risk with Food Allergies & Autoimmune Diseases, Including Celiac Disease

Jax Bari

Jax Bari, the 12-year-old MAHA Kid, applauds the MAHA Report, Make Our Children Health Again Assessment (MAHA Report Assessment) which was released on May 22, 2025 and declared that "the health of American children is in crisis."

Following the MAHA Report Assessment, the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy (MAHA Report Strategy) will be released by August 12, 2025. The upcoming MAHA Report Strategy "shall address appropriately restructuring the Federal Government's response to the chronic childhood disease crisis, including by ending Federal practices that exacerbate the health crisis or unsuccessfully attempt to address it, and by adding powerful new solutions that will end childhood chronic disease." We respectfully call on HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to grant Jax's FDA Citizen Petition which presents a common sense solution with requiring Gluten labeling to better protect more than 729,000 American children with Gluten grain food allergies.

The MAHA Report Assessment found:

"Allergies are Widespread, and Autoimmune Disorders are Rising

• Today, over 1 in 4 American children suffers from allergies, including seasonal allergies, eczema, and food allergies.

  • Eczema (atopic dermatitis) and skin allergies increased from 7.4% of children under 18 from 1997-1999 to 12.7% from 2016-2018.

• Between 1997 and 2018, childhood food‑allergy prevalence rose 88%.

• Celiac disease rates have increased 5-fold in American children since the 1980s.

• Rates of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), including Crohn's, have increased by 25% over the last decade."

We believe that this is a first for any White House with addressing Celiac Disease! The MAHA Report is a "call to action" that seeks to unpack the dietary drivers. -- Jax Bari

Common Sense Solution

Since 2006, only Wheat has been required to be labeled in the United States, but not Barley, Rye and Oats. That's just nonsense. Jax's FDA Citizen Petition presents a common sense solution to address part of the chronic childhood disease crisis pertaining to Gluten grain food allergies. It's time to for the United States to catch up to the rest of the world and require Gluten labeling on all packaged foods in the US, just like Gluten must be declared on all food labels in 87 other countries. This will better protect the estimated 729,000 American children with Celiac Disease.

Jax Bari and Kyle Diamantas, FDA Deputy Commissioner of Human Foods, Let's Make America Healthy Again by Requiring Gluten Labeling

The Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy Report - Due August 12, 2025

The MAHA report Assessment is a "call to action" that seeks to unpack the dietary drivers behind chronic disease. By August 12, 2025, the MAHA Commission shall submit to the President a Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy, based on the findings from the Make Our Children Healthy Again Assessment.

"The Strategy shall address appropriately restructuring the Federal Government's response to the chronic childhood disease crisis, including by ending Federal practices that exacerbate the health crisis or unsuccessfully attempt to address it, and by adding powerful new solutions that will end childhood chronic disease." -- The MAHA Commission Executive Order

This dovetails with Celiac Journey's mission. It's time to for the US to catch up to the rest of the world and require Gluten labeling on all packaged foods in the US, just like Gluten must be declared on all food labels in 87 other countries. This will better protect the estimated 729,000 American children with Celiac Disease. Celiac is a disease, not a diet!

"In parallel, the MAHA Commission will immediately begin working on developing the strategy to make our children healthy again—due in August 2025. We invite all of America, especially the private sector and academia, to be part of the solution." --The MAHA Report Assessment

Requested Rulemaking - Declaring Gluten as a Major Food Allergen

To Make America Healthy Again, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. should prioritize a public health problem long overdue for robust action: reducing chronic diet-related disease by requiring the labeling of Gluten on all packaged foods in the United States, just like Gluten must be declared on all food labels in 87 other countries. It's time for FDA to address this critical consumer protection food safety issue with the urgency it requires and issue rulemaking requiring the labeling of Gluten as a "Major Food Allergen" based on President Trump's Executive Order establishing the MAHA Commission, the  Make Our Children Healthy Again: Assessment, and the Secretary of HHS's existing statutory authority under the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004.

The Stats Cited by President Trump's MAHA Executive Order & Relevance to Celiac Disease

The Stats Cited by President Trump's MAHA Commission Executive Order	Relevance to Celiac Disease: MAHA Commission Executive Order & MAHA Report
30 million U.S. children (40.7%) have at least one health condition, such as allergies, asthma, or an autoimmune disease.	There are an estimated 729,000 U.S. children with Celiac Disease.
60% of Americans have at least one chronic disease, and 40% of Americans have two or more chronic diseases.	There are 3.3 million Americans with Celiac Disease, greater than 1% of the American population. The estimated prevalence of Celiac Disease in patients with Type 1 Diabetes is approximately 6%. Upwards of 15% of Celiac patients will develop other autoimmune diseases.
The United States has the highest age-standardized cancer incidence rate among 204 countries, nearly double that of the next highest rate, with an 88% increase from 1990-2021.	Research published in December 2024 showed that there is a high risk of digestive cancers in patients With Celiac Disease.
77% of young adults do not qualify for military service in the United States.	According to the U.S. Department of Defense, DoD Instruction 6130.03, Celiac is a disqualifying condition from service in the military (Medical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction into the Military Services, Section 5.12.c.(3), May 6, 2018.

Jax Bari Meeting at the FDA with Kyle Diamantas, FDA Deputy Commissioner of Human Foods

“We will end the childhood chronic disease crisis by attacking its root causes head-on -- not just managing its symptoms. We will follow the truth wherever it leads, uphold rigorous science, and drive bold policies that put the health, development, and future of every child first. I'm grateful to President Trump for his leadership -- and for trusting me to lead this fight to root out corruption, restore scientific integrity, and reclaim the health of our children." -- Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. 

Prevalence of Food Allergies, Ages 0-17 *1997-2018) Source: The MAHA Report Assessment

Celiac Disease is Referenced Multiple Times in the MAHA Report Assessment

In what appears to be a first for any White House with recognizing Celiac Disease, especially in American children, Celiac Disease is referenced several times in the MAHA Report Assessment including:

• "Celiac disease rates have increased 5-fold in American children since the 1980s."

• "Studies find that more than 35% (equivalent to more than 15 million prescriptions) of childhood antibiotics are unnecessary and that infants exposed to antibiotics in first 2 years of life are more likely to develop asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, celiac disease, obesity, and ADHD."

• "Antibiotics: Children exposed to antibiotics in the first 2 years of life are more likely to develop asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, celiac disease, overweight, obesity, and ADHD. The antibiotic prescription rate from birth until age 2 is over 2,500 antibiotic prescriptions for every 1,000 children this age."

Purpose of the MAHA Report Assessment

According to the MAHA Report Assessment:

"This report -- Make Our Children Healthy Again: Assessment -- is a call to action. It presents the stark reality of American children’s declining health, backed by compelling data and long-term trends. More importantly, it seeks to unpack the potential dietary, behavioral, medical, and environmental drivers behind this crisis. By examining the root causes of deteriorating child health, this assessment establishes a clear, evidence-based foundation for the policy interventions, institutional reforms, and societal shifts needed to reverse course.

To turn the tide and better protect our children, the United States must act decisively. During this administration, we will begin reversing the childhood chronic disease crisis by confronting its root causes - not just its symptoms. This means pursuing truth, embracing science, and enacting pro-growth policies and innovations to restore children's health. Today's children are tomorrow's workforce, caregivers, and leaders - we can no longer afford to ignore this crisis.

After a century of costly and ineffective approaches, the federal government will lead a coordinated transformation of our food, health, and scientific systems. This strategic realignment will ensure that all Americans - today and in the future - live longer, healthier lives, supported by systems that prioritize prevention, well being, and resilience.

But real transformation requires more than vision - it requires clarity. Before we act, we must fully understand the scope of the crisis, the conditions that created it, and the mechanisms through which it continues to grow. Without this foundation, interventions risk being reactive, fragmented, or ineffective.

To Make Our Children Healthy Again, we must begin with a shared understanding of the magnitude of the crisis and subsequently what's likely driving it. This assessment provides that foundation-grounding future efforts in a common scientific basis that identifies four potential drivers behind the rise in childhood chronic disease that present the clearest opportunities for progress."

The Biden Administration failed to protect Celiacs with acting on Jax's FDA Citizen Petition. We are hopeful that the Trump Administration will make history and Make America Healthy Again for 3.3 million Americans with Celiac Disease including 729,000 children.

Celiac Journey's One Sheeter on Jax's FDA Citizen Petition to Require Gluten Labeling