Can RFK Jr make America’s diet healthy again?

Robert F Kennedy Jr has set his sights on altering how Individuals eat and drink.

From the dyes in Fruit Loops cereal to seed oils in hen nuggets, Kennedy – who’s President-elect Trump’s alternative to steer the Division of Well being and Human Providers (DHHS) – has lengthy spoken out towards components that he says damage Individuals’ well being.

“We’re betraying our kids by letting [food] industries poison them,” Kennedy mentioned at a rally in November, after he had ended his impartial presidential bid and backed Donald Trump.

But when Kennedy hopes to focus on junk meals, he’ll first must shake up the nation’s meals rules – and run up towards Large Meals.

“What he is suggesting is taking over the meals business,” mentioned former New York College vitamin professor Marion Nestle. “Will Trump again him up on that? I’ll consider it once I see it.”

The previous environmental lawyer – who nonetheless should face affirmation by the Senate – is taken into account by many to be a controversial decide, given his historical past of creating baseless well being claims, together with that vaccines may cause autism and that wifi know-how causes most cancers.

But a few of his concepts round reforming the FDA have discovered help from well being specialists, lawmakers and anxious customers alike – together with some Democrats.

Kennedy “will assist make America wholesome once more by shaking up HHS and FDA”, Colorado’s Democratic Governor Jared Polis wrote on social media this week, welcoming his nomination. After receiving public backlash for praising him, Polis certified his endorsement, writing on social media that “science should stay THE cornerstone of our nation’s well being coverage”.

Main as much as the election, Kennedy – a former Democrat – provided a number of concepts for tackling persistent illnesses underneath his slogan “Make America Wholesome Once more”.

He has often advocated for eliminating ultra-processed meals – merchandise altered to incorporate added fat, starches and sugars, like frozen pizzas, crisps and sugary breakfast cereals, which might be linked to well being issues like most cancers, heart problems and diabetes.

He has taken intention primarily in school lunches, telling Fox Information: “We have now a technology of youngsters who’re swimming round in a poisonous soup proper now.”

A part of Kennedy’s new mandate will embrace overseeing the US Meals and Drug Administration (FDA), which has over 18,000 staff.

The company is answerable for making certain the security of prescription drugs and the US meals provide, however has come underneath fireplace in recent times from some lawmakers and shopper teams, who’ve accused it of an absence of transparency and motion on meals security.

The 70-year-old has pledged to take a sledgehammer to the company, and fireplace staff he says are a part of a “corrupt system”.

“There are total departments, just like the vitamin division on the FDA … that must go, that aren’t doing their job,” Kennedy instructed MSNBC this month.

He has additionally pushed for eliminating meals dyes, together with Crimson No. 3, and different components banned in different international locations.

The previous Democrat has additionally singled out extra controversial well being points, together with fluoride in consuming water, which he says needs to be banned altogether, and uncooked milk, which he believes has well being advantages regardless of the elevated danger of bacterial contamination.

He’s additionally come after seed oils, writing on social media that Individuals are being “unknowingly poisoned” by merchandise like canola and sunflower oil which might be utilized in quick meals.

A number of public well being specialists stand behind Kennedy’s purpose to deal with ultra-processed meals, which they are saying the US eats at a lot larger charges than many different international locations.

“It’s simply thrilling to listen to anyone argue for doing one thing about persistent illness,” Ms Nestle mentioned.

Kennedy’s intention to do away with sure meals components and dyes additionally might be useful, mentioned Dr Peter Lurie, government director for the Heart for Science within the Public Curiosity, a non-profit group that advocates for meals security.

The previous FDA official mentioned a number of meals dyes, together with Crimson No. 3 – which is banned in California – also needs to be blocked by the US authorities due to issues about carcinogens.

The FDA has pushed again on Kennedy’s declare that the US permits hundreds of components which might be banned within the European Union. A spokesperson mentioned it was vital “to dig deeper and perceive the context behind the numbers” when evaluating rules within the US and EU, which use totally different methodologies.

However public well being specialists and former officers mentioned quite a lot of Kennedy’s targets weren’t worthwhile – and in some instances, dangerous.

As an example, consuming uncooked milk that has not been pasteurized – a course of that helps kill micro organism – could make folks sick and even kill them, analysis has discovered.

“There isn’t any proof of any dietary good thing about any magnitude that we all know that comes from non-pasteurizing of milk,” mentioned Dr Lurie.

Kennedy’s proposal to take away fluoride from consuming water additionally might be problematic, as a result of fluoride, within the low ranges present in water, has been confirmed to enhance dental well being, mentioned Ms Garner.

Eradicating it from the water provide would even be out of his jurisdiction, as a result of fluoride ranges are managed by states.

And his declare that seed oils are serving to drive the weight problems epidemic will not be based mostly in science, both, Dr Lurie mentioned.

“We see no proof for that. In actual fact, they appear like vital merchandise to the extent that they substitute for saturated fat” similar to butter, he mentioned.

Meals reforms, whereas lengthy a part of the general public well being dialog, may additionally merely be unrealistic each politically and bureaucratically, some specialists mentioned.

“It’s deal extra sophisticated than he lets on,” mentioned Dr Lurie. “These are actual challenges, and you’ll encounter business opposition at each flip.”

For one, the FDA doesn’t have authority over the catch-all of “ultra-processed meals”, a number of former officers instructed the BBC.

As an alternative, they mentioned, the method is extra sophisticated. Each the US Division of Agriculture and the FDA regulate the meals business. The FDA doesn’t make the foundations – it carries out insurance policies handed by Congress and works to restrict unhealthy meals by imposing limits and labelling on sure vitamins, like sodium and saturated fats.

Kennedy’s feedback “make for nice political rhetoric”, Ms Garner mentioned. “For my part, I don’t see how that might be possible with out drastic adjustments in different coverage and infrastructure.”

He will even face business backlash for proposals to ban pesticides and genetically modified organisms generally utilized by American farmers, former FDA officers mentioned.

“The companies will complain,” mentioned Rosalie Lijinsky, a former FDA official of 33 years.

The business is used to restricted oversight from each Democrats and Republicans – together with underneath Trump’s first time period – whereas a lot of Kennedy’s targets would contain much more rulemaking.

A number of meals business teams met with lawmakers earlier than Kennedy’s appointment this month to foyer towards him, Politico reported final month.

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, of Iowa, mentioned this week that he deliberate to satisfy Kennedy earlier than his affirmation listening to and “spend numerous time educating him about agriculture”.

Kennedy’s place additionally places him at odds with President-elect Trump, a longtime lover of quick meals who labored to roll again stricter well being necessities for varsity lunches throughout his first time period.

“You get some concepts that make a specific amount of sense, however they’re precisely the type to which this administration is hostile,” Dr Lurie mentioned.

In an announcement to the BBC, the Meals Business Affiliation, which represents meals retailers, producers and producers, like Common Mills, mentioned it seemed ahead to working with Trump’s staff to “guarantee meals and drug coverage continues to be grounded in science, to cut back regulatory complexity”.

The business complaints about Kennedy’s agenda don’t come as a shock, mentioned Jeff Hutt, a spokesperson for the Make America Wholesome Once more political motion committee, which is urging Republican lawmakers to verify Kennedy.

The purpose of the well being motion, Mr Hutt mentioned, is “prioritising the wellness of America over company earnings”.

“Even when the concept of banning ultra-processed meals will not be doable politically, it is a dialog that we have to have,” he mentioned.

Kennedy nonetheless may work inside present US regulatory frameworks to enhance America’s meals programs, former officers mentioned.

Ms Nestle mentioned Kennedy may tackle ultra-processed meals by altering the US Dietary Tips, which set dietary requirements for the business and federal authorities programmes, together with faculty lunches and army meals.

“They’ve an infinite impression on the meals business,” Ms Nestle mentioned. “That will make an enormous distinction.”

The rules are up to date each 5 years by the US Division of Agriculture and DHHS, which has beforehand mentioned there may be not sufficient proof towards ultra-processed meals.

Nonetheless, officers and vitamin specialists raised issues in regards to the means by which Kennedy has proposed to enact his agenda, together with firing the FDA’s nutritionists.

The transfer would have giant ramifications for meals security, mentioned Ms Lijinsky. “When you lose your prime specialists, you’re going to have issues,” she mentioned.

Finally, Ms Garner mentioned it’s troublesome to disentangle a few of Kennedy’s extra cheap food-improvement targets with the false well being claims he has unfold.

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

“However I feel there’s rightful concern based mostly on different points and the way his strategy to these points would possibly play in right here.”