If you have been following post-election coverage, the name Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is probably familiar. R.F.K Jr., as he is often called, has been picked by President-elect Donald Trump as a candidate for the head of the Department of Health and Human Services. In the past, during his bid for president, and now, at the news of his potential appointment, he has been referred to as an anti-vaxxer, COVID-denier, and overall conspiracy theorist. While he holds kooky beliefs that have been debunked, R.F.K. Jr. brings a breath of fresh air to a political environment entrenched by industrial lobbies by being outspoken about his mission to “Make America Healthy Again.”
It is no secret that Americans are unhealthy. The USA surpasses other high-income countries in health spending, yet we experience some of the worst health outcomes in the world. Americans are plagued by lifestyle-caused diseases like obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and more. The culprit? Our food.
In the 1990s, Brazilian epidemiologist Carlos Monteiro became curious about rising obesity rates in his home country. He launched a study into the eating habits of Brazilians and found that there were two distinct camps, one based on the traditional diet of home-cooked meals and the other composed of what are now known as ultra-processed foods. From this research, he came up with the NOVA method of food classification, which categorizes food by the amount of industrial processing done to it, ignoring the long-revered nutritional hallmarks of nutrients and calories. Health authorities around the world, including the American Medical Association, have since begun to advocate the reduction in the consumption of ultra-processed foods, stating that these foods are detrimental to good health.
Sadly in the United States, 73% of our food supply is composed of ultra-processed foods, and over 50% of the American diet is ultra-processed. R.F.K. Jr. has been particularly outspoken about this issue and he’s not wrong. While he certainly demonstrates a certain conspiracy theorist’s flair in his proclamations like health agencies are “sock puppets of the industries they are supposed to regulate” and that “the government approves poisons in our food,” to a person who is familiar with nutrition and food policy, these statements are broad generalizations of nuanced topics made to appeal to a broad audience. It is true that there is a revolving door of officials from the food industry to the Health and Human Services agencies and vice versa. Regarding the comment about poison in food, it is well-known that several additives, pesticides, and growth hormones permitted in American food are banned from Europe and other countries due to safety concerns.
R.F.K. Jr. promises to run the Department of Health and Human Services agencies more strictly by increasing regulations and making sure that officials have no conflict of interest. He has lofty plans of clearing a way for better health by tackling the issue of agricultural and pharmaceutical lobbies that currently have a hold over government agencies.
I appreciate R.F.K. Jr.’s conviction in his beliefs and his drive to restore American health. There are legitimate concerns about him being a nutcase, but I think that he has demonstrated himself to be open-minded when presented with evidence that goes against his beliefs. For example, while being a staunch anti-drug advocate due to experiencing addiction himself, he is open to the decriminalization of psychedelics after learning that substances like ayahuasca and psilocybin can be a potent mental health treatment. I am apprehensive about how much progress he will be able to make in his mission, given the vice grip that industrial lobbying has on our government. Still, I am hopeful that his efforts will increase public awareness about national health issues.
