RFK Jr.'s next target: A common weedkiller

After targeting dyes and other chemicals allowed for use in food, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is zeroing in on the active ingredient in Roundup in his bid to root out what he calls environmental toxins that contribute to chronic disease. Why it matters: The herbicide glyphosate is expected to feature prominently in a report due out this week from President Trump's Make America Healthy Again Commission, which was charged with identifying top contributors to America's chronic health problems.But some warn that clamping down on pesticides could cause major disruption of the food supply, with repercussions for agriculture interests and consumers.In a speech last week, White House senior health adviser Calley Means previewed the report's findings, pointing to chemical pesticides as contributors to Americans' poor health. "Obviously it's because of environmental toxins. We produce and ingest 25% of the world's pesticides," Means said at an event in D.C. launching the MAHA institute. "The leading herbicides and pesticides that we use in the United States — many of them are phased out or banned in every other country in the world."The big picture: While some environmentalists and wellness influencers have long decried the to use of herbicides and pesticides, glyphosate is the most widely used weedkiller worldwide and the key ingredient in Bayer's Roundup. Bayer has said its product has been widely tested and found safe and essential."We support the application of sound science to address the complex causes of chronic disease and food insecurity in America," a Bayer spokesperson told Axios. "We look forward to exploring how we can support the administration's initiatives."Yes, but: Some researchers who've tested animals or made observational studies have found connections between chemicals such as glyphosate and chronic inflammation, cancer, neurodegenerative disease and autism. "All we are doing as scientists here is just trying to show the use is going up substantially every year," said Ramon Velazquez, a researcher at Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center. "Are there possible detrimental outcomes? ... Unfortunately, what we're finding with our research and support with others is that the answer is yes." Friction point: But some White House official have raised concerns about what removing glyphosate would do to the food supply. Officials at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture dispute Kennedy's belief that weedkillers are harmful to health, the Wall Street Journal reported. The chemical atrazine, which is banned in Europe, is also expected to be highlighted in the forthcoming commission report as a contributor to poor health, the WSJ reported. Glyphosate is allowed in Europe, though it's controversial because of alleged health and environmental effects.Kennedy and his supporters regularly point to "environmental toxins" as the underpinnings of disease. "It's a carcinogen, an endocrine disruptor, it causes kidney and liver damage. ... It can contribute to reproductive harm, which is a crisis in America today," Zen Honeycutt, founder and executive director of Moms Across America, who's aligned with Kennedy's agenda, told Axios. Some environmental groups say it's impossible to split the difference and that getting results likely requires strict new regulations.Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs for the Environmental Working Group, which tracks use of glyphosate, pointed to Kennedy's recent effort to remove petroleum-based food dyes that she said amounted to little more than an "understanding" with industry, a point food companies later disputed."It is hard for me to imagine how you can successfully get something like ... glyphosate, that is as widely used as it is, restricted or off the market or narrowing the uses without taking some kind of regulatory action, in this case, a regulatory action that would fall outside of the jurisdiction of the HHS secretary," she said.Yes, but: Facing ongoing legal challenges, Bayer has warned farmers and retailers it may actually take the product of the market, WSJ reported.There are some alternatives that have been suggested to replace glyphosate, including more natural forms of farming, as well as a future where AI-enabled robotic weeders replace chemicals. Reality check: Means has been working to harmonize Kennedy's goals with MAGA priorities. "This report coming out on the 22nd is a scientific assessment. It's a statement of what's happening. It's a statement of these unimpeachable facts," Means said. "Then we get to policy. When it comes to things like regulatory action on pesticides, we don't want a European nanny state system."Kip Tom, vice chair for rural policy at the America First Policy Institute, called it a "false choice" between protecting human health and supporting farmers. "We remain hopeful that science, innovation, and open dialogue will guide us toward policies that both strengthen American agriculture and reduce the burden of diet-related chronic disease," he told Axios in an emailed statement.What's next: While there's been a big focus on agricultural chemicals and food safety, there's less consensus around other factors that Kennedy and Means say are poisoning Americans, including seed oils and refined sugars in processed foods, childhood vaccines and a rise in the use of psychiatric medications in teens.Leading medical organizations do not support many of those claims.

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