Can RFK Jr make Americans eat healthier again?

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. labored to vary the best way Individuals eat.

From dyes in Fruit Loops cereal to seed oil in rooster nuggets, President-elect Donald Trump’s appointee to guide the Division of Well being and Human Companies (DHHS) has lengthy spoken out in opposition to components he believes are dangerous to Individuals’ well being.

“Now we have betrayed our youngsters [food] Trade poisoned them,” Kennedy mentioned at a rally in November, when he ended his impartial presidential marketing campaign and endorsed Donald Trump.

But when Kennedy needs to focus on junk meals, he should first change the nation’s meals rules and tackle huge meals firms.

“His proposal was to enter the meals business,” mentioned Marion Nestor, a former New York College vitamin professor. “Will Trump help him? I will imagine it after I see it.

The previous environmental lawyer should nonetheless be confirmed by the Senate and is seen by many as a controversial choose due to his historical past of creating unfounded well being claims, together with that vaccines trigger autism and that WiFi expertise causes most cancers.

Nonetheless, a few of his concepts for reforming the FDA have gained help from well being consultants, lawmakers and anxious customers, together with some Democrats.

Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis wrote on social media this week that Kennedy “will assist America heal by shaking up the Division of Well being and Human Companies and the Meals and Drug Administration,” welcoming his nomination. After dealing with public backlash for praising him, Polis restricted his help, writing on social media that “science should stay the cornerstone of our nation’s well being coverage.”

Earlier than the election, former Democrat John F. Kennedy floated some concepts for addressing power illness below the slogan “Make America Wholesome Once more.”

He usually advocates eliminating ultra-processed meals — merchandise with added fats, starch and sugar, resembling frozen pizza, potato chips and sugary breakfast cereals, which have been linked to well being issues resembling most cancers, heart problems and diabetes.

Specializing in faculty lunches, he informed Fox Information: “My era of youngsters reside in a poisonous soup proper now.”

A part of Kennedy’s new obligations will embody overseeing the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA), which has greater than 18,000 staff.

The company is answerable for guaranteeing the protection of medicines and the U.S. meals provide, however has been criticized lately by some lawmakers and shopper teams who accuse it of a scarcity of transparency and motion on meals security.

The 70-year-old promised to take a sledgehammer to the company and sack workers in what he known as a “corrupt system”.

“Whole departments, just like the FDA’s vitamin division… should go, however they are not doing their job,” Kennedy informed MSNBC this month.

He has additionally pushed for the elimination of meals colorings, together with Crimson 3 and different components banned in different nations.

The previous Democrat additionally pointed to extra controversial well being points, together with fluoride in ingesting water (which he believes needs to be banned completely) and uncooked milk (which he believes has well being advantages regardless of the elevated danger of bacterial contamination).

He’s additionally involved about seed oil, writing on social media that Individuals are being “unknowingly poisoned” by merchandise resembling canola and sunflower oil utilized in quick meals.

A number of public well being consultants help Kennedy’s purpose to deal with the issue of ultra-processed meals, which they are saying are consumed at a lot larger charges in the USA than in lots of different nations.

“It’s thrilling to listen to somebody advocating for motion on power illness,” Ms. Nestor mentioned.

Dr. Peter Lurie, govt director of the Heart for Science within the Public Curiosity, a nonprofit that advocates for meals security, mentioned Kennedy’s purpose of eliminating sure meals components and dyes may be useful.

The previous FDA official mentioned the U.S. authorities also needs to ban a number of meals dyes, together with Crimson No. 3, which is banned in California, due to issues about carcinogens.

The FDA disputes Kennedy’s assertion that the U.S. permits the usage of hundreds of components banned within the European Union. A spokesman mentioned there was a must “dig deeper and perceive the context behind the numbers” when evaluating US and EU rules that use totally different methodologies.

However public well being consultants and former officers say a lot of Kennedy’s targets had been meritless and, in some instances, dangerous.

For instance, research have discovered that ingesting uncooked milk that has not been pasteurized (the method of pasteurization helps kill micro organism) could make individuals sick and even die.

“To our data, there isn’t any proof that unpasteurized milk has any stage of dietary profit,” Dr. Lurie mentioned.

Ms. Garner mentioned Kennedy’s proposal to take away fluoride from ingesting water may be problematic as a result of decrease ranges of fluoride in water have been proven to enhance dental well being.

Eradicating it from the water provide can also be past his jurisdiction as a result of fluoride ranges are managed by states.

Dr. Lurie mentioned his declare that seed oils are serving to to drive the weight problems epidemic additionally has no scientific foundation.

“We’ve not seen any proof of this. The truth is, they seem like essential merchandise that may substitute ‘saturated fat’ resembling butter,” he mentioned.

Meals reform, whereas lengthy a part of the general public well being dialog, may be merely impractical from a political and bureaucratic perspective, some consultants say.

“It is extra difficult than he lets on,” Dr. Lurie mentioned. “These are actual challenges and you are going to run into business pushback each time.”

First, a number of former officers informed the BBC that the FDA doesn’t have jurisdiction over all “ultra-processed meals.”

As an alternative, they are saying, the method is extra difficult. Each the USDA and FDA regulate the meals business. The FDA doesn’t make guidelines – it enforces insurance policies handed by Congress and works to restrict unhealthy meals by implementing limits and labeling on sure vitamins, resembling sodium and saturated fats.

Ms. Garner mentioned Kennedy’s remarks “constituted nice political rhetoric.” “In my opinion, I do not see how that is possible with out vital adjustments in different insurance policies and infrastructure.”

Former Meals and Drug Administration officers say he can even face sturdy opposition from business over his proposal to ban pesticides and genetically modified organisms generally utilized by U.S. farmers.

“Corporations are going to complain,” mentioned Rosalie Lijinsky, a former FDA official who spent 33 years.

The business has grow to be accustomed to restricted oversight from each Democrats and Republicans — together with throughout Trump’s first time period — and lots of of Kennedy’s targets will contain extra rulemaking.

Politico reported final month that forward of Kennedy’s appointment this month, a number of meals business teams met with lawmakers to foyer in opposition to him.

Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley mentioned this week that he plans to fulfill with Kennedy forward of his affirmation listening to and “spend lots of time educating him on agriculture.”

Kennedy’s stance additionally places him at odds with President-elect Trump.

“You are going to get some concepts that make sense, however they’re precisely what this administration is in opposition to,” Dr. Lurie mentioned.

The Meals Trade Affiliation, which represents meals retailers, producers and producers resembling Basic Mills, mentioned in a press release to the BBC that it appears to be like ahead to working with the Trump crew to “be sure that meals and drug coverage continues to be primarily based on science and scale back regulatory complexity.”

Trade complaints about Kennedy’s agenda will not be shocking, mentioned Jeff Harm, spokesman for the Make America Wholesome Once more political motion committee, which is urging Republican lawmakers to substantiate Kennedy’s nomination.

Harm mentioned the purpose of the well being motion is to “put the well being of America forward of company earnings.”

“Even when the thought of ​​banning ultra-processed meals is politically inconceivable, it is a dialog we have to have,” he mentioned.

Former officers mentioned Kennedy may nonetheless work to enhance the U.S. meals system throughout the nation’s present regulatory framework.

Ms. Nestlé mentioned Kennedy may deal with ultra-processed meals by revising the Dietary Tips for Individuals, which set dietary requirements for business and federal applications, together with faculty lunches and army meals.

“They’ve a big impact on the meals business,” Ms. Nestlé mentioned. “It makes an enormous distinction.”

The steerage is up to date each 5 years by the U.S. Division of Agriculture and the Division of Well being and Human Companies, which beforehand mentioned there was not sufficient proof in opposition to ultra-processed meals.

Nonetheless, officers and vitamin consultants have expressed issues about the best way Kennedy proposes to implement his agenda, together with firing the FDA’s nutritionists.

Ms Likinski mentioned the transfer would have a big influence on meals security. “When you lose prime consultants, you are going to have issues,” she mentioned.

In the end, Ms. Garner mentioned, it was troublesome to separate a few of Kennedy’s extra affordable targets for bettering meals from the false well being claims he unfold.

“There’s a possibility right here,” Ms. Garner mentioned.

“However I feel there are legit issues primarily based on different points and the way his method to these points may play out.”