Happy Friday, and welcome to Food Fix, the newsletter about food policy in Washington and beyond. Thanks for being here. It’s been a newsy week, to say the least.
Food Fix around town: I interviewed Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at the Milken Institute’s Future of Health Summit on Thursday. We discussed how the conversation around food and chronic disease has changed over time, among other things. Here’s a replay.
As always, I welcome your feedback (criticism is welcome, too!). Reply to this email to land in my inbox, or drop me a note: helena@foodfix.co.
Alright, let’s get to it –
Helena
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Trump taps Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead HHS. Washington is freaking out.
Just after 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, my phone started buzzing with a stream of text messages in ALL CAPS.
I knew, without checking my email or news alerts, exactly what had happened. President-elect Donald Trump was going to pick vaccine skeptic and public health critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). It’s a big cabinet job at the helm of a massive agency, which oversees $1.7 trillion in annual health care spending (think Medicare and Medicaid), as well as CDC, NIH and of course FDA, an agency with jurisdiction over roughly 80 percent of the U.S. food supply.
Washington, to put it mildly, is freaking out.
Typically, when a cabinet nominee is announced, reporters’ inboxes are flooded with reaction. Sometimes, industry and other interest groups are falling over themselves to praise the new boss in town. This pick, however, is being met with a unique mix of horror, shock, confusion and optimism, depending on who you talk to. A lot of public health, consumer advocates and food industry leaders just did not believe Trump would really pick RFK for a cabinet job, in part because they believed there was no way his nomination could clear the Senate. Both of those assumptions may prove to be wrong.
MAHA 101: I’m not going to rehash how we got here, but if you want to read up on the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, born out of this new alliance between Kennedy and Trump, here’s the first primer I wrote back in September. I covered how this new message was showing up on Capitol Hill and was the first to report that Trump was promising to let Kennedy “go wild” on health issues. More recently, I wrote about how Republicans and Democrats were scrambling to respond to Kennedy’s meteoric rise within Trumpworld and offered a breakdown of what food policy could look like in a Trump administration.
Earlier this week, I dug into how the presidential transition is already pitting this new band of reformers against the establishment.
In the coming weeks and months, I’ll be unpacking more of the potential policy implications of an RFK pick, from food safety to food as medicine. For today, though, we’re going to run through a smattering of reactions to this news, ranging from horror to hope.
Heck no: Key consumer and environmental groups were first out of the gate to slam Trump’s choice, which is particularly notable because these groups actually agree with some of RFK’s ideas (but certainly not all of them). Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, a group that has pushed hard for stricter regulation of food additives (also a big part of MAHA), slammed the nomination as “the latest revenge-prank nomination to emerge from the patio of Mar-a-Lago.”
Peter Lurie, president and executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the leading consumer group working on nutrition, was equally blunt: “Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is not remotely qualified for the role and should be nowhere near the science-based agencies that safeguard our nutrition, food safety, and health. Nominating an anti-vaxxer like Kennedy to HHS is like putting a Flat Earther at the head of NASA.”
Many progressives in the food world have found themselves torn at times about the rise of RFK. On one hand, issues they care deeply about like diet-related diseases, food additives, and environmental contamination are finally getting serious political attention. On the other hand, Kennedy’s platform comes with claims that are unsupported by scientific evidence. For example, every reputable scientific body that’s looked into it has found that vaccines don’t cause autism. Most folks on the left also just don’t buy into Kennedy’s belief that there’s a conspiracy of “elites” purposely trying to make Americans sick. And regardless, much of the rest of the Trump agenda raises a five-alarm fire with Democrats.
“I want strong local food systems, more money going to farmers, less sugar in schools and fewer pesticides used on farms,” said Katherine Miller, author and founder of Table 81, which advises progressive groups, on Threads. “But I’m not willing to stand by and watch them dismantle food and water safety laws, end financial programs designed to help socially disadvantaged farmers, put onerous restrictions on SNAP & deport 10M people (many of whom work on farms, in slaughterhouses & restaurants).”
Heck yes: One of the most high-profile cheerleaders of this news, was Democrat Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. Polis quickly posted on X that he was “excited by the news,” in part because RFK would “help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA.”
“What I’m most optimistic about is taking on big pharma and the corporate ag oligopoly to improve our health,” Polis wrote. He then went into more detail about which policy ideas he supports, including getting rid of the entire nutrition division within FDA. “YES! The entire nutrition regime is dominated by big corporate ag rather than human health and they do more harm than good.”
An hour later, as backlash flooded in, Polis hopped back on X and clarified that he believes “science must remain THE cornerstone of our nation’s health policy and the science-backed decision to get vaccinated improves public health and safety.” He added that he and his family are vaccinated and then doubled down on his belief that agencies like FDA need “a major shake-up.”
Jerold Mande, CEO of Nourish Science, a group that’s trying to reverse the trend on diet-related diseases, also issued a statement that seemed cautiously optimistic: “Putting food-caused chronic disease at the center of the nation’s health policy is a public health win for Americans,” Mande said in an email. “It’s the cause of shorter U.S. lifespans and children with chronic disease. We should ensure that every child reaches age 18 at a healthy weight and in good metabolic and mental health. Bobby Kennedy is committed to doing that.”
Marty Irby, president at Competitive Markets Action and secretary at the Organization for Competitive Markets, lauded the pick as a “game changer for the American people that will rein in corporate capture and save countless human lives.”
“Our health is the key to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and big PHARMA and other industries are about to get a big wakeup call when RFK, Jr. dismantles the current systems that protect corporations and allow Americans to be poisoned at the plate,” Irby said in a statement.
Warm reception: There’s been a lot of speculation about how Kennedy would fare in a Senate confirmation process, but I think the reception is likely to be warmer than the conventional wisdom would suggest. The GOP sweep of the White House, House and Senate gives Trump more of a mandate to get his team in, plus there are other nominees that have drawn intense backlash, including Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Matt Gaetz for attorney general. It’s not clear how much resistance Senate Republicans are prepared to put up.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, (R-La.), a physician and ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee —which plays a key role in the confirmation process for HHS — released a positive statement: “RFK Jr. has championed issues like healthy foods and the need for greater transparency in our public health infrastructure,” said Cassidy. “I look forward to learning more about his other policy positions and how they will support a conservative, pro-American agenda.”
Cassidy, it should be noted, will be chair of the HELP committee when Republicans take control in January.
Behind the scenes: Industry groups were noticeably silent this week, but there is no doubt that food, ag and pharma interests will push back on this nomination in the Senate. So far, it seems that trade groups are treading carefully, not wanting to spark an all out fight, but there’s currently a letter circulating that urges the Trump transition to pick nominees committed to science.
“We are eager to support Administration nominees and appointees who commit to science and risk-based decision making,” reads the forthcoming letter, led by the Corn Refiners Association and signed by dozens of food and agriculture industry groups so far. “Science and risk-based decision making will ensure that policy is factually based and efficient in ensuring consumer health and safety.”
I expect there will be much more to come on all of this as we get closer to the new administration.
P.S. If you’re trying to stay on top of what’s happening in Washington, consider becoming a paid subscriber to get this newsletter twice a week. Almost everyone who upgrades finds it useful and renews. Plus, paid subscriptions are what make this newsletter possible (and free) each week. Thanks for reading!
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What I’m reading
Lab confirms Canada’s first case of avian flu infection in humans in B.C. (Vancouver Sun). “Canada’s Public Health Agency has confirmed that a B.C. teenager hospitalized last Friday is the country’s first human case of domestically acquired avian flu,” reports Chuck Chiang. “The agency said in a statement Wednesday that testing at Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg confirms the teen did contract the H5N1 avian flu, the same strain related to viruses found in B.C. flocks in a current outbreak at poultry farms. The teenage patient was said to be in critical condition on Tuesday in B.C. Children’s Hospital, and a spokesman from the office of B.C.’s provincial health officer said Wednesday that they are not aware of any change to that status.”
As California taps pandemic stockpile for bird flu, officials keep close eye on spending (California Healthlines). “California public health officials are dipping into state and federal stockpiles to equip up to 10,000 farmworkers with masks, gloves, goggles, and other safety gear as the state confirms at least 21 human cases of bird flu as of early November. It’s the latest reminder of the state’s struggle to remain prepared amid multibillion-dollar deficits,” writes Don Thompson. “California is putting a number of lessons from the covid-19 pandemic to use, such as coordinating emergency response with local health officials and tracking infectious diseases through wastewater surveillance, as the state tries to limit the spread of bird flu to humans. It’s striving to maintain an adequate emergency stockpile to withstand the first wave of any new public health disaster without hemorrhaging the state budget.”
Ozempic and Wegovy may help curb alcohol addiction, study suggests (NBC News). “The blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy may help people cut back on drinking, new research published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry suggests. In a study of around 228,000 people in Sweden who had alcohol use disorder, researchers found that people who were taking a GLP-1 drug like semaglutide were less likely to be hospitalized for alcohol-related issues,” reports Kaitlin Sullivan. “GLP-1 drugs — the class of medication that includes semaglutide and other popular drugs like tirzepatide — have shown potential for treating addiction. A clinical trial published in 2022 found that an older GLP-1 drug called exenatide reduced drinking, but only among those who had both alcohol use disorder and obesity. Several other studies have examined drinking habits among people taking GLP-1 drugs who do not have alcohol use disorder.”
Why Kraft Heinz pulled Lunchables off public school menus (Food & Wine). “On Tuesday, Kraft Heinz shared that it is pulling its Lunchables products from a program providing free and reduced meals to low-income school children across the U.S.,” writes Stacey Leasca. “The move comes several months after Consumer Reports sounded the alarm about the pre-packaged meals, which typically contain deli meats, cheeses, and crackers. In April, Food & Wine reported on the advocacy group’s petition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, asking it to pull the product from the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) due to the product’s “relatively high” levels of lead, cadmium, and sodium. “Lunchables are not a healthy option for kids and shouldn’t be allowed on the menu as part of the National School Lunch Program,” Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, said in a statement.”
Ultra-processed foods may accelerate biological aging (Medical News Today). “A recent study involving over 22,000 Italian adults suggests that eating a lot of ultra-processed foods is associated with faster biological aging,” writes Kelsey Costa. “Biological aging gives a more accurate picture of our body’s health than just looking at age in years and can be affected by lifestyle choices, such as diet. The poor nutrition content of ultra-processed foods was only weakly responsible for this link, implying that other aspects of these foods might accelerate our biological aging. The findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, contribute to the growing evidence that ultra-processed foods negatively affect our health and longevity.”
Wilted greens: How a leaf-eating pathogen, failed deals brought down Bowery Farming (Pitchbook). “The collapse of Bowery Farming, a once high-flying vertical farming startup, was so sudden that trucks were still arriving at Bowery’s indoor farm facility in Bethlehem, Pa., to pick up produce after its nutrient and irrigation systems had been switched off for good,” reports Rosie Bradbury. “Bowery’s CEO, Irving Fain, had broken the news of the shutdown to employees less than 48 hours earlier. PitchBook spoke to multiple former employees at Bowery who explained how a lofty mission to make agriculture more sustainable was cut short by the punishing economics of food and a vulnerability to pathogens.”
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