by GLENDALE, ARIZONA: Former Republican presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and now … [+]
President-elect Trump told Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that he can “go wild on health care.” It is not clear what this would entail and what his capacity would be, whether he would lead a federal government department or agency, or serve as a White House adviser. But regardless of his title in the new administration, the food industry is one area where RFK Jr. is likely to look. to drive change.
In no uncertain terms, he said he wants Americans to eat healthier. This seems benign, even beneficial, especially in terms of reducing pesticide use and fixing what Kennedy portrays as a food ecosystem captured by corporate interests. However, it goes against the actions of the first Trump administration, during which deregulation was the mantra. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture relaxed chemical and nutritional standards. In addition, the Trump administration undermined the integrity of nutritional science by not allowing the federal committee to discuss dietary guidelines on certain foods.
In a post-election interview with National Public Radio, Kennedy said Trump gave him three mandates: to clean up regulatory agencies like the Food and Drug Administration of “corruption and conflicts,” to “return the agencies to the gold standard of evidence- based on science and medicine” and to “end the chronic disease epidemic.”
A purported cause of what Kennedy and others call the chronic disease crisis—including the high prevalence of obesity and diabetes—is poor diet. A review recently published in the British Medical Journal shows the relationship between daily exposure to ultra-processed foods and chronic disease. And Pew Research shows that Americans are eating far more calories than they used to. The average American ate about 2,500 calories a day in 2010, about 23% more than in 1970. And between 2010 and 2023, the number increased by another 1,000 calories, a further increase 40%.
It is plausible that by limiting the caloric intake of unhealthy foods and encouraging people to have a nutritious diet without potentially harmful additives, this would improve the health of the population, especially if done in conjunction with increased physical activity.
These are noble goals that RFK Jr. hopes for. to achieve. But the objectives are not brand new, and even the means to achieve them are in some ways more consistent with what Democratic administrations have tried to pursue than the executive actions put in place during the first Trump administration.
The Carter administration first published national dietary guidelines in 1980, 60 years after the federal government made nutritional advice available to the public through bulletins, posters, brochures, books, and – more recently – websites and social media. . From about 1920 to 1980, nutritional guidance included informing the public about the pyramid of food groups in a healthy diet, as well as food safety and storage, and recommendations about the need for adequate mineral and vitamin intake to prevent certain diseases.
The first publication of the Dietary guidelines for Americans was released in 1980. Since then, the Dietary guidelines now a cornerstone of federal food and nutrition guidelines, which set the terms for school meals and government food assistance programs.
Fast forward 30 years, former First Lady Michelle Obama spearheaded a program called “Let’s Move,” aimed at curbing childhood obesity. President Barack Obama established a Task Force on Childhood Obesity in 2010, with the lofty goal of solving the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. He announced the First Lady’s role in leading a national public awareness effort to improve children’s health with diet and exercise guidance. Obama said: “To achieve our goal, we must accelerate the implementation of successful strategies that will prevent and fight obesity. Such strategies include updating child nutrition policies in a way that addresses the best available scientific information, ensuring access to healthy and affordable food in schools and communities, as well as increasing physical activity.”
And then, 12 years later, the Biden administration held the second White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health in 2022, 50 years after the first one took place. The administration soon began implementing a new national strategy to “end hunger and increase healthy eating and physical activity so that fewer Americans will develop diet-related diseases.”
The Biden administration says it has made school meals healthier, strengthened nutritional standards in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children and banned certain pesticides. The administration asserts that it has invested in local food systems while pursuing policies that address the consolidation of the agricultural industry.
In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services hosted its first ever “Food is Medicine” summit in January 2024, which featured stakeholders examining the intersection of food and health. HHS aims to foster understanding of the relationship between nutrition and health, facilitate easier access to healthy food, especially in under-resourced communities, and educate the public on the importance of nutrition for better health .
The contrast between the Biden and Trump administrations is stark, according to Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), who writes that Trump’s track record during his first administration contradicts RFK Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again priorities. Deregulation was the theme from 2017 to 2020. For example, the EPA reversed a ban on chlorpyrifos, a pesticide widely used on farms that has been linked to neurological problems in children. In addition, the EPA under Trump approved more than 100 toxic pesticides, some of which are banned in other countries.
The first Trump administration did not address ultra-processed foods. Nor have efforts been made to adjust farm subsidies to focus on the production of more fruit and vegetables. In addition, the administration reversed efforts to make school lunches healthier and cut food assistance programs by billions of dollars, rolling back rules passed under President Obama that mandated more whole grain foods, fruits and vegetables in school meals.
In particular, the first Trump administration limited the nutritional science that can be considered when formulating the 2020 US dietary guidelines. As an illustration, any discussion by the guidelines committee on red and processed meat, sodium and ultra-processed foods and their impact on the environment is considered off limits.
Maybe Trump had a change of heart? It certainly is possible. But not if we are to believe that what is included in Project 2025 will be a guide for the second Trump administration. The 2025 Project is a political initiative published by the conservative American think tank, the Heritage Foundation. Among other things, the document calls for the repeal of all federal nutritional guidelines as well as the federal food labeling mandate. During the presidential campaign, Trump distanced himself from Project 2025. However, so far the President-elect’s agenda and some of his proposed cabinet appointments have overlapped with Project 2025, in terms of content or authorship .
So what can we expect from RFK Jr given what we saw during the first Trump administration? Probably more deregulation. Eliminating regulatory departments like the FDA’s nutrition division is what RFK Jr. advocated, according to News Week. Although the FDA regularly reviews the safety of food additives based on what the agency views as rigorous science and research, RFK Jr. countered saying that the FDA is “not protecting our children.”
And deregulation may also apply to items that RFK Jr. may have had a hand in. in promotion, as supplements. In fact, it appears that the new Trump administration plans to further loosen existing rules on supplements, according to STAT news.
We could see public health messages that go against grain. Like RFK Jr.’s take. with vaccine skeptics, he may hold federal government conferences with unconventional nutritionists and functional medicine advocates. [I have reached out to RFK Jr. to comment on this, but his office did not immediately respond to my request] Based on RFK Jr.’s statements, a sampling of items that could be discussed: Opposition to the use of seed oils, such as corn, canola, sunflower and soybean oils; promote the consumption of raw milk; testosterone replacement therapy as an anti-aging medicine. As for raw milk, proponents say it has more beneficial enzymes and probiotics than pasteurized milk and that its consumption is associated with lower rates of asthma and allergies. Opponents say it poses serious health risks and can lead to deadly bacterial outbreaks. In short, a public health campaign led by RFK Jr. is likely to provoke more controversy and fighting. To quote Kurt Vonnegut, “And so it goes.”
