RFK Jr.’s food fight

Robert F. Kennedy Junior wants to Make America Healthy Again—but what does that mean for you and me? He seeks, in effect, to return America to a simpler time of “clean, unprocessed, additive free” living with so-called “clean food.” In this endeavor, he specifically denounces “ultra-processed” foods. 

And so, with these heroics, the American people will be swept off of their feet and saved from the chronic disease epidemic. As all things are, steering clear of these “ultra-processed foods” is unfortunately more complicated than simply not buying the items at the grocery store with the poison hotline stamped beneath their label. Instead of being marked by a big skull and crossbones, the processed foods that RFK Jr. is targeting are, essentially, everything commercially available. Once again: what does that mean for us?

To start with, “ultra-processed” as an idea is ill-defined. RFK Jr. has never clarified the extent of what he hopes to remove. In nutrition research, the term typically covers foods that are made largely of industrial ingredients, contain additives or preservatives, and are engineered for convenience, shelf life, or hyper-palatability. Think sodas, chips, packaged sweets, frozen meals, and yes, even the hyperconsumerism dystopian nightmare dubai chocolate. But for the sake of this article, let’s think of “processed” to mean anything edible that’s not home grown and made with love, which narrows it down a lot, doesn’t it? 

This is where his emphasis on “whole foods” comes in. Kennedy has spoken in favor of policies that encourage Americans to return to eating more fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, dairy, and meats in their most natural forms. It fits with the theme of trying to return America to a simpler time. 

Unfortunately, romanticization of the past isn’t a filling meal. RFK Jr. and his advocates argue that diets based on overly processed foods are responsible for all of America’s chronic diseases; notwithstanding that in a society reliant on commercialization, it’s a little absurd to expect Americans to bake their own bread. This is without taking into account the fact that “clean foods,” as he puts it, are more expensive. Non-perishable goods came into popularity simply because many Americans cannot afford fresh produce and do not have the time to make it themselves. 

If Kennedy’s vision comes to pass, we may one day find that America will cure itself of heart disease, one carrot stick at a time. Honestly, I don’t think carrot sticks could beat the taste of Red 40, but that might just be me.