Kennedy’s Vow to Take On Big Food Could Alienate His New G.O.P. Allies

The New York Times ^ | Nov. 15, 2024Updated 1:37 p.m. ET | Christina Jewett, Julie Creswell

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Processed foods are in the cross hairs of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but battling major companies could collide with President-elect Donald J. Trump’s corporate-friendly goals.

Boxes of brightly colored breakfast cereals, vivid orange Doritos and dazzling blue M&Ms may find themselves under attack in the new Trump administration.

In excoriating such grocery store staples and their mysterious ingredients, Robert F. Kennedy tapped into a zeitgeist of widening appeal for healthy foods to curb obesity and disease that helped propel President-elect Donald J. Trump to select him to oversee the country’s vast health agency.

“We are betraying our children by letting these industries poison them,” Mr. Kennedy said at a campaign rally on Nov. 2, to raucous applause.

As Mr. Trump’s choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services, he would have far-reaching authority over the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates about 80 percent of the nation’s food supply. That includes shaping regulations on packaging that declares something “healthy” or discloses the amounts of sugar, salt and other ingredients in most packaged foods.

But in vowing to upend the nation’s food system, Mr. Kennedy is taking a direct shot at Big Food, one of the country’s most powerful industries whose traditional allies are Republicans. Even something as simple as removing artificial dyes is likely to result in a knockdown battle for the multibillion-dollar food sector, which is wary of higher manufacturing costs or a dip in sales of products favored by loyal consumers.

More broadly, Mr. Kennedy has set an agenda to root out what he considers corruption in the arena of government and public health, arguing that regulatory agencies overseeing food and drugs have been working hand in hand with corporate America to enhance profits rather than to benefit consumers.

Many of the issues Mr. Kennedy raises about healthier foods...

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Fun Fact: Europe has far stricter laws on food additives than the US. When Americans move to Europe, they lose weight. When Europeans move to America they gain weight.

[BenLurkin]

Too many laws already.

Please, no more.

[PMAS]

New York Times now trying to take the side of the big business republicans against RFK - laughable

[9YearLurker]

Poisons shouldn’t be blessed for our foods.

Sorry.

Have you by chance got a vested interest here?

[stanne]

When I lived in Europe I had no migraines I lost weight

[InsidiousMongo]

There should be no processed foods or GMO. Period.

[BenLurkin]

I’m not asking for anything to be blessed. Government can’t bless anything anyway. It can only meddle.

[9YearLurker]

But that’s exactly what it does. Labels crazy ingredients as “generally regards as safe (GRAS)”.

[griswold3]

We need informed consumers. A libertarian (small “l”) approach. Michelle Obama was too bossy.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Too many laws already. Please, no more.

So you want more chemicals in your food. Check.

[caddie]

It's not the food ingredients that make Americans unhealthy, it's the overeating 2-5 times the number of calories needed every day for 30 years, and sitting on their fat asses all day, every day, for 30 years.

Whatever you do, Americans, don't walk every day, much less walk the 10 miles a day Americans did generations ago.

Don't work at a farm or manual labor job, either, because they are demeaning to your intelligent sensibilities.

Just sit on your fat asses and have meetings with donuts all day every day for your whole life.

And don't get off your fat ass to go shopping, oh NO that would be stressful. Just have Amazon deliver it.

Don't bring home food and cook it, just have Door Dash deliver it while you watch TV five hours a day and fish the net another five hours.

Blame the food companies! Yes THEY made you fat! It's THEIR fault! Sue them!

It is so pathetic and lame to blame these things and yellow dye number 5 for all the health problems of Americans.

Such bull$#*t.

SHEESH.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

It's not the food ingredients that make Americans unhealthy, it's the overeating 2-5 times the number of calories needed every day for 30 years, and sitting on their fat asses all day, every day, for 30 years...Such bull$#*t... SHEESH.

When Americans move to Europe, they lose weight.

When Europeans move to America, they gain weight.

But you say Americans deserve to be fat because, unlike you, they are lazy asses.

Such bull$#*t.

SHEESH.

[irishjuggler]

But how much of the current weight differential between Americans and Europeans is due to higher nicotine usage among the latter? For example, I was in France a few months ago, and I’d estimate that smoking/vaping there among women 18-50 is perhaps 3x or 4x what it is the U.S. Can the effects on nicotine on appetite and metabolism be ignored?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

So you are saying Americans don’t smoke/vape enough?

[conserv8]

Way too much sugar in processed foods

[DesertRhino]

Hilarious. Now the NYT has to support our hyperprocessed, additive and HFCS packed “food” from big food. The way Trump has done things, the Libtards don’t know if they’re coming or going.

[Thomas Jerome]

Good rant...

[Cautious Optimism]

One reason Americans overeat is because of modern agricultural methods which have significantly increased crop yields but at the expense of nutrients in our food. I believe people are eating in a subconcious effort to obtain the nutrients are bodies need.

[Kudsman]

It's only logical. They love death. Like a Mortician.

and apparently playing Dr. Frankenstein with young questioning folks. But never mind. Its OK. Caryn Johnson says so.

[Theoria]

More so that we have accomplished the task of making life easy. Life in America is easy. We are basically house cats that have giant globs of processed food in front of us. Its our choice to overeat or be active. Humans are more likely to choose the easy path.

Life in Europe has less convenience. Having a car isn't as easy. They walk and ride bikes more than us. Totally different forms of society.

'Capitalism' and easy life has defeated America.