Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), doubled down on his view that ultra-processed foods and food additives are “poisoning” Americans during two days of Senate confirmation hearings this week.
Food makers have been permitted to “mass poison American children,” Kennedy told lawmakers from the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on Jan. 30. “That’s wrong. It needs to end. And I believe I’m the one person who’s able to end it.”
The day before, however, while appearing before the Senate Committee on Finance, Kennedy signaled that he does not intend to take ultra-processed foods off the market, only to ensure Americans are educated about their health effects. If confirmed, Kennedy would oversee agencies including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which plays a key role in U.S. food policy.
Here’s what to know about ultra-processed foods, and how Kennedy has said he plans to shape the U.S. food system if confirmed.
What are ultra-processed foods?
By some estimates, the majority of the U.S. food supply is ultra-processed. But what does that mean, exactly?
There is no universal definition of an ultra-processed food, and even experts don’t always agree about which foods count. Under the most commonly used definition, however, ultra-processed foods are those made wholly or largely from oils, sugars, starches, and ingredients you wouldn’t find in a standard home kitchen, like emulsifiers and industrial additives. By that standard, classic “junk” foods like chips, candy, and soda are ultra-processed—but so are foods such as flavored yogurts, some whole-grain breads, and nondairy milks.
What RFK has said about ultra-processed foods—and what the science says
In past remarks, Kennedy has called ultra-processed foods “poison,” blamed them for high rates of obesity, and suggested that they are a key driver of the country’s “chronic disease epidemic.”
He stuck with those characterizations during questioning on Jan. 30. “American kids did not suddenly get gluttonous and lazy,” Kennedy said while discussing obesity. “Something is poisoning them.”
It’s hard to say whether such sweeping statements on ultra-processed foods are accurate, largely because of the vast diversity of products that fit into that category, says Alice Lichtenstein, a professor at Tufts University’s Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. It is generally true that eating a diet rich in minimally or unprocessed foods—such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins—is better than one high in industrially manufactured products, Lichtenstein says. But “until we start agreeing on exactly how we classify foods,” she says, “I don’t think we can evaluate the [scientific] literature” to definitively determine how ultra-processed foods, as a category, affect health.
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Plenty of studies have linked ultra-processed foods to health problems including cancer, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and mental-health issues. But even some of these studies suggest ultra-processed foods aren’t all the same. One recent study, for example, concluded that eating a diet high in ultra-processed foods raises the risk of dying from heart disease—but only certain foods, including sugary drinks, hot dogs, and sausage, seemed to drive that trend. Others, including breakfast cereals, flavored yogurts, and ice cream, were actually associated with lower risks of heart disease.
When Kennedy talks about specific foods, his statements are a mixed bag in terms of accuracy. He has suggested that seed oils, such as canola oil, are “poisoning” Americans and that it’s healthier to cook with beef fat—a claim that Lichtenstein says is flat-out wrong. Kennedy also vocally prefers raw milk over pasteurized milk even though the very health agencies he would oversee as HHS secretary warn that it can spread food-borne disease and possibly even bird flu.
Some of his other takes—that food dyes are unsafe, for one—have more mainstream approval. The FDA, while still under the Biden Administration, recently banned a dye used in some candies, sweets, and cereals because it has been linked to cancer in animals. (Some of Kennedy’s specific claims about dyes, including that they cause ADHD, are more controversial but not totally unfounded.) He has also said that eating lots of processed sugars contributes to obesity and heart disease, which is supported by science.
What Kennedy wants to do about ultra-processed foods
Kennedy said during his Jan. 29 appearance before the Senate Committee on Finance that he does not plan to take ultra-processed foods off the market. “I don’t want to take food away from anybody,” he said. “If you like…a McDonald’s cheeseburger, Diet Coke—which my boss loves—you should be able to get them. If you want to eat Hostess Twinkies, you should be able to do that. But you should know what the impacts are on your family and on your health.”
According to his website bearing the name of his slogan—Make America Healthy Again—Kennedy promises to “ban the hundreds of food additives and chemicals that other countries have already prohibited” and “change regulations, research topics, and subsidies to reduce the dominance of ultra-processed food” in the U.S. food supply. He has also said he will remove ultra-processed foods from school cafeterias, work to get dyes out of foods including children’s cereals, and revamp federal health agencies that work on food policy. “There are entire departments, like the nutrition department at FDA, that have to go, that are not doing their job,” he told NBC in November. “They’re not protecting our kids.”
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Kennedy reiterated some of those plans before the Senate Committee on Finance, pledging to “make sure our tax dollars support healthy foods,” “scrutinize the chemical additives in our food supply,” and “remove financial conflicts of interest from our agencies.”
Neil Maniar, director of Northeastern University’s masters program in public health, says he supports some of what Kennedy has proposed, including serving healthier foods in schools, ridding the food supply of additives proven to be harmful, and improving the overall quality and safety of the U.S. food supply. “There is definitely room for improvement,” he says.
But, Maniar emphasizes, it’s crucial that any actions a Kennedy-led HHS pursues are based on sound science and expert consensus, not political ideology. That’s a particular concern, he says, given Kennedy’s lack of experience in public health and track record of spreading misinformation, particularly around vaccines.
“I firmly believe that politics should not drive public health,” Maniar says. “Public health should be driven by science, by what we know works, and our understanding and partnership with communities.”
