- On February 13, 2025, the US Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as the nation’s top healthcare official, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Through this position, Kennedy will be in charge of the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
- During his Senate confirmation hearings, Kennedy discussed what he has described as a health crisis facing the United States and advocated for changes in the food system, starting at the soil level. In his opening remarks, Kennedy stated, “We will make sure our tax dollars support healthy foods. We will scrutinize the chemical additives in our food supply… We will create an honest, unbiased, gold-standard science at HHS…”
- Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Campaign (MAHA) website calls for a “comprehensive national strategy to combat the chronic disease epidemic, which includes addressing the root causes such as poor diet, environmental toxins, and inadequate healthcare,” though MAHA opponents question Kennedy’s scientific qualifications and evidence for some of his claims.
- Kennedy has consistently vocalized his opposition to “highly chemical, intensive processed foods,” or “ultra-processed foods,” though some argue the term to be not well-defined. Kennedy called out the food supply as being the “primary culprit” of “poisoning the American people.” During the hearing, Kennedy also called out the practice of food and beverage companies selling products in the US with more ingredients, while selling “cleaner” versions of the same product outside the US.