News from CRIS: Special Edition - Mapping the MAHA Report
June 2, 2025
The release of The MAHA Report–Make Our Children Healthy Again: Assessment has generated a tremendous amount of headlines, as well as considerable confusion. Since there are more than enough people and organizations opining on the report, we’ll spare you our thoughts. Instead, we’ve opted to help provide clarity, nuance, and understanding for folks who are curious or may have other questions about the CRIS-relevant topics the report addresses.
We’ve mapped the key topics it raised to our clear, science-backed explainers.
How do we evaluate evidence? How do we determine if an ingredient is safe?
What is a chemical? | Evaluation Process | Understanding Risk & Safety
Understanding the current policies
Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) | Food Additives
Foundational toxicology concepts
Toxicology Concepts | Understanding Exposure & Limits | How does our body process ingredients?
Specifically mentioned compounds, ingredients, and more
Protective Nutrition | Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals | Food Colors & Dyes | Metals in Food | Organic & Natural | Pesticides | Plastics & Polymers | Seed Oils | Sweeteners & Sugar | Titanium Dioxide
How do we evaluate evidence? How do we determine if an ingredient is safe?
Before any claim can be responsibly interpreted, we need to understand how scientists weigh, assess, and determine safety and risk.
What is a chemical?
| Topic & Link | Summary |
|---|---|
| Chemophobia – Understanding why | Explains what chemicals are and offers a framework for understanding fear and misconceptions around them. |
Evaluation Process
| Topic & Link | Summary |
|---|---|
| Weight of Evidence | How scientists evaluate all available data, giving the greatest weight to high-quality studies to assess ingredient safety. |
| Exposure-based Risk Assessment Process | Outlines how scientists evaluate risk by combining hazard, exposure, and context. |
| Exposure-based Risk | Explains how the amount and frequency of exposure influence safety evaluations. |
Understanding Risk & Safety
| Topic & Link | Summary |
|---|---|
| What is Risk? | Defines risk in toxicology and explains how it differs from hazard. |
| Using Risk to Make Informed Decisions | Shows how understanding risk supports informed, science-based decision-making. |
| Is Zero Risk Possible? | Explains why “zero risk” is unrealistic and how science helps determine acceptable risk levels. |
Understanding the current policies
Before we can understand what officials are seeking to change, we need to understand at a high-level the current policies protecting our food system.
Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS)
| Topic & Link | Summary |
|---|---|
| What is GRAS? | Explains what GRAS means, how it’s determined, and how it helps ensure ingredient safety. |
| What is the GRAS Loophole? | Explores concerns and common misconceptions about the “GRAS loophole” in food safety regulation. |
Food Additives
| Topic & Link | Summary |
|---|---|
| What are Food Additives? | Explains what food additives are, why they’re used, and how their safety is evaluated. |
| What is the Delaney Clause? | Breaks down the Delaney Clause, its historical context, and its impact |
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To continue reading the entire blog post, visit: https://cris.msu.edu/news/special-edition/maha-report/.