A Biden official appears to be signaling support for key parts of Robert F. Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again agenda on his way out the door.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf voiced support for several MAHA priorities to incentivize healthy eating and eliminate harmful ingredients from the nation’s food supply during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing on Dec. 5. Califf and Senate lawmakers zeroed in on the role processed foods play in contributing to the nation’s growing chronic disease and obesity epidemics, a bipartisan concern Kennedy brought to the top of voters’ minds while on the campaign trail.

“What’s going on here is that the food industry has figured out that there’s a combination of sweet carbohydrates and salt that goes to our brains — and I think it’s addictive,” Califf told lawmakers during the hearing. “I think it’s the same neural circuits that are involved in opioid addiction and other kinds of addiction that we have.”

“If you’ve ever tried to eat one potato chip, it’s almost impossible. There’s a reason for this,” Califf added.

Califf and lawmakers’ recognition of the potential harms to human health posed by processed foods, seen in their discussions on banning artificial food dyes and limiting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to healthy foods during the Senate hearing, points to the growing momentum of Trump and Kennedy’s MAHA agenda that lawmakers on Capitol Hill are also getting behind.

“Sen. Tuberville is a long-time fan of RFK Jr.’s health agenda and is 100% supportive of his efforts, along with President Trump, to Make America Healthy Again,” a spokesperson for Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who sits on the Senate HELP Committee, told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement.

‘Stop The Mass Poisoning Of American Children’

Califf and his counterpart, FDA deputy commissioner for human foods Jim Jones, told lawmakers that the agency will decide on a petition to order a nationwide ban of Red Dye 3, an artificial food dye under scrutiny from Kennedy and MAHA activists, in the coming weeks.

The FDA banned Red Dye 3 for use in cosmetics and skincare products in 1990 after scientific studies revealed the synthetic dye caused cancer in laboratory animals, but has defended the synthetic dye as safe to ingest.

“Red [Dye No.] 3 has been known to cause cancer [when used in] cosmetics, but we still allow it to be put into our food. I don’t understand that,” Tuberville told Califf during the hearing.

Democratic New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone, ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, published a letter on Dec. 5 calling on the FDA to ban Red Dye 3 from the food supply.

“There is simply no reason for this chemical to be in our food except to entice and mislead consumers by changing the color of their food so it looks more appealing,” Pallone wrote.

The color additive, made from petroleum to give food and beverages a bright cherry red color, is used in thousands of U.S. food products, including Halloween candy, certain brands of saffron rice and mashed potatoes.

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation in October 2023 to ban Red Dye 3 and other food additives linked to cancer last year, making California the first state in the country to ban the synthetic dye.

The European Union, Australia, New Zealand and Japan have banned Red Dye 3 for food use with some of these countries carving out exceptions for its use in cherry products, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy organization petitioning the FDA to ban the synthetic dye.

Kennedy has described these synthetic dyes as “chemical poisons.” Though the FDA considers these artificial ingredients safe to ingest, many have been linked to cancer and hyperactivity and behavioral issues in children, according to an array of scientific studies.

“If just one of them [color additives] can cause all these problems, imagine what they’re doing in combination,” Kennedy said in a video posted to X on Sept. 25. “If we took all of these chemicals out, our nation would get healthier immediately.”

“President Trump and I are going to stop the mass poisoning of American children.”

Dr. Marty Makary, Trump’s nominee to lead the FDA, has echoed Kennedy’s concerns about the dangers of food additives contributing to the nation’s chronic disease epidemic.

“We’ve got food dyes, some of which cause anxiety and depression. The body is reacting with an inflammation that is constant makes people feel sick,” Makary told Fox Business on Oct. 2. “We’ve got to talk about our poisoned food supply.”

Makary’s skepticism on the safety of the 36 FDA-approved color additives in the food supply, some of which are either prohibited or require a warning label in other countries, could lead the FDA to reexamine the potential harms of these artificial ingredients in the food supply under his tenure, which would likely garner support from lawmakers.

“Scientific studies that have integrity will have to guide future actions,” Republican Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson told the DCNF in a statement in response to whether the FDA should reevaluate the health risks of artificial food ingredients. “Returning integrity to research should be the top priority.”

A Tuberville spokesperson told the DCNF the Alabama Republican would be supportive of banning additional color additives if the FDA determines they are dangerous to human health.

‘Why Not Purchase Healthy Food’

Califf also voiced support for limiting SNAP benefits to healthy foods during the Senate hearing, a top priority on Kennedy and MAHA activists’ agenda during the second Trump administration.

Roughly one in eight Americans use SNAP to pay for groceries, leading to the U.S. government subsidizing billions in junk food and soda purchases annually despite more than 40% of Americans being obese. Nearly 25% of SNAP spending goes toward junk food and roughly 10% of all SNAP purchases are for soda — the largest commodity purchased by SNAP users — according to a 2016 USDA study.

“There’s also some evidence to suggest that even in the same neighborhood, families that use SNAP benefits versus those who don’t, the SNAP benefit purchases are generally less healthy than those who don’t use SNAP benefits,” Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine told Califf during the hearing.

Califf agreed, telling lawmakers that reforming SNAP benefits “would be one of the most important things” the federal government could do to combat the obesity and chronic disease epidemics.

“The U.S. government has the purchasing power, so why not purchase healthy food,” Califf added.

Kennedy, MAHA activists and some Republican lawmakers’ push to end SNAP benefits for processed foods could face opposition from agriculture interests and major food corporations whose processed food products receive billions of dollars in annual SNAP purchases.

Republican Oklahoma Rep. Josh Brecheen has introduced legislation to exclude soda and junk food from SNAP purchases, but the bill has not cleared the House Agriculture Committee. Brecheen plans to reintroduce the legislation during the upcoming Congress, which could be more receptive to reforming SNAP given Kennedy’s prior advocacy on the issue.

“Isn’t it time to reevaluate whether taxpayers should be required to fund these products through SNAP, given their detrimental health effects,” Brecheen told the DCNF in a statement. “If someone wants to buy junk food on their own dime, that’s up to them. But what we’re saying is, don’t ask the taxpayer to pay for it and then also expect the taxpayer to pick up the tab for the resulting health consequences.”

Kennedy and MAHA activists efforts to curtail SNAP benefits for processed foods could also face obstacles given his distance from the center of food policy within the federal bureaucracy. Though Trump promised to let Kennedy “go wild on food” while on the campaign trail, Kennedy’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services places him outside the agency responsible for administering SNAP and writing dietary guidelines: the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Brooke Rollins, Trump’s nominee to lead the USDA, does not appear to have taken a position on reforming SNAP benefits.

The Trump-Vance transition team did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment about whether the incoming administration is planning to crack down on artificial food dyes and reform SNAP benefits. A Kennedy spokesperson also did not respond to requests for comment.

Adam Pack
December 12, 2024

Featured Image Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America

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