Inflation May Help RFK Jr. Defeat Pepsi, Kellanova & General Mills + More
Source: Children’s Health Defense
Inflation May Help RFK Jr. Defeat Pepsi, Kellanova & General Mills
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to “Make America Healthy Again” and inflation may help him defeat big food companies, such as Pepsi, Kellanova and General Mills. RFK Jr.’s war against unhealthy food has him targeting harmful artificial dyes, seed oils and sugary snacks and drinks.
While government pressure and regulation are one way to get consumers to change their eating habits, RFK Jr. may have a surprise ally in inflation. Some of the biggest food companies, including Frito-Lay owner Pepsi and Hostess owner JM Smucker, have reported declining snack sales in recent earnings reports.
Now, data from market research firm NIQ shows that consumers are spending less on expensive snacks. That makes sense, as consumer habits are changing due to ongoing inflation and a trade war between the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and China. This could cause food prices to increase, dissuading customers from spending on luxury foods, such as chips, soda and sweets.
White House Hires RFK Jr. Ally as Special Adviser
The White House is elevating an ally of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to implement the Trump administration’s plan to address chronic illness.
Entrepreneur and author Calley Means will be a White House adviser and “special government employee,” according to two people familiar with the appointment. It’s the same classification that has allowed tech billionaire Elon Musk to retain his private-sector roles even as he tried to transform the federal bureaucracy.
Special government employees are temporary workers, and there’s less red tape in the hiring process.
Scientist Whose Work Led FDA to Ban Food Dye Says Agency Overstated Risk
When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in January, before President Joe Biden’s term ended, that it would ban a dye called red dye No. 3 in food and ingested drugs, the federal agency cited just one 1987 study on rats to support its action.
The study, based on data from two prior studies, was led by a Virginia toxicologist who said then — and still believes today, decades after concerns first arose that the chemical could be carcinogenic — that his research found the petroleum-derived food coloring doesn’t cause cancer in humans.
“If I thought there was a problem, I would have stated it in the paper,” Joseph Borzelleca, 94, a professor emeritus of pharmacology and toxicology at Virginia Commonwealth University, told KFF Health News after the FDA’s announcement.
“I have no problem with my family — my kids and grandkids — consuming Red 3. I stand by the conclusions in my paper that this is not a problem for humans.”
FDA to Increase Testing for Heavy Metals in Infant Formula, RFK Jr. Says
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will step up its testing for heavy metals in infant formula and review nutrients required in the products used to feed millions of babies, the agency and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on Tuesday.
“The FDA will use all resources and authorities at its disposal to make sure infant formula products are safe and wholesome for the families and children who rely on them,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement.
Kennedy earlier met with the chief executives of companies including Similac maker Abbott Laboratories and Reckitt Benckiser, maker of Enfamil, according to a social media post from HHS. The FDA would embark on a comprehensive look at the nutrients used in infant formula and increase testing for heavy metals and other contaminants, HHS said in its statement.
“The FDA is deeply committed to ensuring that moms and other caregivers of infants and young children and other individuals who rely on infant formula for their nutritional needs have confidence that these products are safe, consistently available, and contain the nutrients essential to promote health and wellbeing during critical stages of development and life,” Acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner said in a statement.
Can the FDA’s New Rules Help People Eat Healthier?
In December 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized its requirements for foods that use the word “healthy” on their packaging.
The new rules, which were proposed under the Biden administration in 2022, replace a set of requirements that were implemented in 1994, and which had long been under fire from consumer groups, nutrition experts and even food companies for being out of alignment with current science and, in some cases, common sense.
The new guidelines, originally slated to take effect in February 2025, have been delayed to April thanks to a regulatory freeze from the Trump administration. Once the new rules are enacted, companies can begin labeling newly qualified products immediately, though they’ll have up to two years to remove the label from products that no longer qualify.
