Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says processed American diet is a bigger crisis than tobacco

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday the nation needs to wean its youth of processed food or else “we’re going to lose our country.”

Mr. Kennedy, celebrating one year since his confirmation, said the U.S. needs to treat diet choices the way it rallied to tackle tobacco use. Data show that at least 40% of American adults are obese, though some methods of studying the problem put the percentage far higher.

“The ultimate culprit is ultra-processed foods,” Mr. Kennedy said during an event hosted by the Heritage Foundation. “It’s an assault on our children.”

“Everyone agrees cigarettes are bad. This is much worse,” he said.

Ultra-processed foods generally include industrial thickeners and stabilizers, plus ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils.

New dietary guidelines from Mr. Kennedy and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins urged Americans to eat more protein and full-fat dairy and cut back on ultra-processed foods and added sugar.

“We took the politics out of it, and we made gold standard, science-based recommendations,” Mr. Kennedy told the audience at the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based conservative think tank.

Foundation President Kevin D. Roberts said the event was designed to celebrate “one year of winning” at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Beyond the food guidelines, Mr. Roberts pointed to Mr. Kennedy’s effort to overhaul childhood immunization recommendations and eradicate food dyes, among other measures.

Mr. Kennedy said the administration’s hard-charging policies are designed to make Americans healthier without bankrupting key industries.

For instance, food companies using vegetable-based dyes were given slack — the administration allowed them to claim there were no artificial colors in the food.

He also said President Trump specifically worked not to “bankrupt” drug companies when he struck deals on most-favored nation pricing that pegs the costs of some medicines to what other developed nations pay.

Mr. Kennedy said the administration is also promoting the life-saving capabilities of artificial intelligence. He said doctors often are not able to scrutinize a person’s medical records in the ways AI programs can.

Mr. Kennedy, son of the late Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, ran for president as a Democrat and then switched to an independent in the 2024 race. He dropped out and backed Mr. Trump.

The president repaid that support by nominating Mr. Kennedy to HHS and encouraging senators to fall in line behind him.

Mr. Kennedy built a diverse coalition of support during his confirmation battle, including liberal “crunchy granola moms” who sought natural alternatives to some drugs or consumer products, and conservatives skeptical of the government’s narrative during the COVID-19 crisis.

The Senate voted 52-48 last February to confirm him, with Sen. Mitch McConnellly of Kentucky joining Democrats in opposition because of his long record of vaccine skepticism.

HHS is a sprawling agency with a $1.7 trillion budget and oversight of food and drugs, disease-fighting efforts and major insurance programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

Mr. Kennedy lavished praise on President Trump for allowing him to enact a bold agenda at HHS. At the same time, he urged people to have a healthy skepticism of government and industry claims when it comes to health.

Mr. Kennedy built his career as an environmental lawyer, activist and chairman of the anti-vaccine Children’s Health Defense, making him an unusual pick after a run of HHS secretaries who included former congressmen and a pharmaceutical executive.

The secretary ruffled feathers by reshaping the advisory panel that makes recommendations around vaccines. In particular, he ran afoul of Senate Health Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Republican, by watering down recommendations around the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns.

Mr. Kennedy slashed the agency’s workforce numbers and battled with leadership at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sparking a major management shakeup at the Atlanta-based agency last summer.

His efforts to reshape how Americans see food have been more widely accepted. The Kennedy-aligned Make America Health Again Center enlisted the help of iconic boxer Mike Tyson, who starred in an emotional Super Bowl ad that focused on his sister, who died of an obesity-related heart attack.

Mr. Kennedy said they tried to get Mr. Tyson to read a script, but they opted instead to let him talk off the cuff.

“Just an outpouring from him from his heart,” Mr. Kennedy said.