How RFK Jr.’s Pledge To Make America Eat Healthier Clashes With Trump

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How RFK Jr.’s Pledge To Make America Eat Healthier Clashes With Trump

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been told by President-elect Trump he can “go wild on healthcare.” It’s unclear what this would entail and in what capacity, whether he’d possibly head a federal government department or agency, or act as a White House adviser. But regardless of his title in the new administration, one area in which RFK Jr. is likely to seek to drive change is the food industry.

In unambiguous terms, he has spoken of his desire for Americans to eat healthier. Ostensibly, this appears benign, even benevolent, particularly with regard to reducing the use of pesticides and fixing what Kennedy depicts as a food ecosystem captured by corporate interests. However, it flies in the face of the actions taken by the first Trump administration, during which deregulation was the mantra. The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Agriculture relaxed chemical and nutritional standards. Furthermore, the Trump administration undermined nutritional science integrity by not allowing discussion of certain foods by the federal dietary guideline committee.

In a post-election interview with National Public Radio, Kennedy has said that Trump gave him three mandates: To purge regulatory agencies like the Food and Drug Administration of “corruption and conflicts,” to “return the agencies to the gold standard of evidence-based 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 recently published review in the British Medical Journal demonstrates the association between daily exposure to ultra-processed foods and chronic disease. And Pew Research shows that Americans consume many more calories than they used to. The average American consumed roughly 2,500 calories a day in 2010, about 23% more than in 1970. And between 2010 and 2023, the number shot up by approximately another 1,000 calories, an additional increase of 40%.

It’s plausible that by limiting caloric intake of unhealthy foods and by encouraging people to have a nutritious diet devoid of potentially harmful additives, this would improve population health, especially if done in conjunction with increased physical activity.

These are noble goals that RFK Jr. hopes to attain. But the objectives are not novel, and even the means with which to achieve them are more consistent in some ways with what Democratic administrations have tried to pursue than the executive actions implemented during the first Trump administration.

National dietary guidelines were first published by the Carter administration in 1980, 60 years after the federal government started providing nutrition advice for the public through bulletins, posters, brochures, books, and—more recently—websites and social media. From around 1920 until 1980, dietary guidance included informing the public about the pyramid of food groups in a healthy diet, as well as food safety and storage, and recommendations on the need for sufficient 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 have become a cornerstone of federal food and nutrition guidance, which set the terms for school meals and government assisted food programs.

Fast forward 30 years, former First Lady Michelle Obama led a program called “Let’s Move,” which was aimed at curbing childhood obesity. President Barack Obama had 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 the health of children with dietary and exercise guidance. Obama stated: “To meet our goal, we must accelerate implementation of successful strategies that will prevent and combat obesity. Such strategies include updating child nutrition policies in a way that addresses the best available scientific information, ensuring access to healthy, affordable food in schools and communities, as well as increasing physical activity.”

And then, 12 years later, the Biden administration convened the second White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in 2022, 50 years after the first was held. The administration soon began implementing a new national strategy for “ending hunger and increasing healthy eating and physical activity so fewer Americans experience diet-related diseases.”

The Biden administration says it has made school meals healthier, strengthened nutrition standards in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children program and banned certain pesticides. The administration asserts it has invested in local food systems while pursuing policies that combat agricultural industry consolidation.

Also, the Department of Health and Human Services hosted its first-ever “Food is Medicine” summit in January 2024, featuring stakeholders examining the intersection between food and health. HHS aims to cultivate an understanding of the relationship between nutrition and health, facilitate easier access to healthy food, particularly in under-resourced communities, and educate the public on which nourishment is essential for better health.

The contrast between the Biden and Trump administrations is evident, according to Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), who writes that Trump’s track record during his first administration runs counter to RFK Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again priorities. Deregulation was the theme from 2017 through 2020. For example, the EPA reversed a ban on chlorpyrifos, a pesticide widely used on farms which has been linked to neurological problems in children. Additionally, 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 were efforts made to adjust farm subsidies to focus on production of more fruits and vegetables. Moreover, the administration reversed efforts to make school lunches healthier and cut food assistance programs by billions of dollars, rolling back rules adopted under President Obama that mandated more wholegrain foods, fruit and vegetables in school meals.

Notably, the first Trump administration restricted the nutritional science that can be considered in framing the 2020 U.S. dietary guidelines. To illustrate, it deemed off limits any discussion by the guidelines committee of red and processed meat, sodium and ultra-processed foods and their impact on the environment.

Perhaps Trump has had a change of heart? It’s certainly possible. But not if we are to believe that what’s included in Project 2025 will guide the second Trump administration. Project 2025 is a political initiative published by the American conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation. Among other things, the document calls for the repeal of federal dietary guidelines altogether as well as the federal food labeling mandate. During the presidential campaign, Trump distanced himself from Project 2025. Nevertheless, the President-elect’s agenda and several of his proposed cabinet appointments thus far overlap with Project 2025, either in terms of content or authorship.

So, what can we expect from RFK Jr. in light of what we saw during the first Trump administration? Probably more deregulation. Eliminating regulatory departments such as the FDA’s nutrition division is something RFK Jr. has suggested, according to Newsweek. While the FDA regularly reviews the safety of food additives based on what the agency views as rigorous science and research, RFK Jr. has countered by saying the FDA is not “protecting our kids.”

And deregulation may also apply to items that RFK Jr. could have a hand in promoting, such as supplements. Indeed, it appears that the new Trump administration intends to further loosen already-lax rules on supplements, according to STAT News.

We could also see public health messaging that goes against the grain. Analogous to RFK Jr.’s embrace of vaccine skeptics, he may convene 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; promotion of raw milk consumption; testosterone replacement therapy as an anti-aging remedy. On 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 state that it poses serious health risks and could lead to deadly bacterial outbreaks. In short, an RFK Jr.-led public health campaign is likely to trigger more controversy and infighting. To quote Kurt Vonnegut, “And so it goes.”

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