The Kennedy Effect on Food

By Jennifer Galardi, Contributing Writer, The Kennedy Beacon

It’s been just over two weeks since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took the helm at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and already some companies are adopting policy recommendations aligned with the MAHA agenda.

In what might be the biggest shift yet, the CEO of Chicago-based Mondelez International, Dirk van de Put, announced the food conglomerate would begin to use European recipes for its U.S. based products. Mondelez is one of the largest snack companies in the world,producing popular brands such as Clif, Triscuit and Ritz, Philly Cream Cheese, and OREO. Also in the company’s portfolio: healthier snacks such as Hu chocolate and Perfect Snacks.

According to a report in Reuters, because Mondelez does business in both the U.S. and Europe, van de Put said it would be "relatively straightforward" for it to adapt its recipes.

"It's work that needs to be done," said the CEO, but he also stated that such work would also result in cost increases for consumers. It's not an easy time to raise prices, Van de Put acknowledged, "so I do expect it will take us a few years to work our way through this."

Recipe changes won’t be the only reason for price hikes. An increase in the cost of eggs, cocoa, and coffee will also cause inflation at grocery stores. Van de Put expects chocolate to be 30% to 50% more expensive than it used to be due to a supply crisis in Africa. Mondelez manufactures Cadbury and Milka chocolates.

Historically, processed foods have been cheaper and easier to access than whole, fresh foods such as meat, fruits, and vegetables. This is often an argument used by those who contest that healthy dietary changes are unattainable for lower income individuals and families, and that only affluent people can afford to eat healthy. This is only true because processed foods are made less expensive through the subsidization of crops used in junk food such as wheat, corn and its byproducts (corn syrup), and soy. Because processed food must undergo several steps between harvest, processing, and packaging, it is actually more time and energy intensive.

The cost hurdle can be overcome if incentives are restructured to make fresh foods less expensive by supporting and encouraging farmers to engage in practices that support polyculture which mimics the diversity found in natural ecosystems.

Consumers Demand Better

While the new MAHA ethos is putting pressure on food companies to remove seed oils (Sweetgreens, the popular health conscious salad chain, removed the products from its menu all the way back in the Fall of 2023), consumers are also turning up the heat on manufacturers for deceptive advertising.

A nationwide class action $10 million lawsuit was filed last week in San Francisco federal court against Mondelez International, accusing the company of deceptively labeling the crackers as "100% Whole Grain," though they contained corn starch, a refined grain. According to the October 2022 complaint, whole grains are healthier than refined grains, and Wheat Thins purchasers would not have bought or would have paid less for the crackers had they known Mondelez's labels were false.

In addition to monetary compensation, Mondelez also agreed not to use "100% Whole Grain" on Wheat Thins packaging without qualifying that language.

Lawsuits like this prove there is an appetite for real change within the food industry. Back in October, Vani Harari, aka “The Food Babe,” led a group of activists in front of Kellogg’s in Battle Creek, MI to protest the use of artificial dyes in food. Harari delivered a petition with over 400,000 signatures to support the protest and appeared on Good Morning America, reaching millionsMany of the ingredients in Kellogg’s cereal have been shown to have harmful health effects, particularly in children.

Early this year, on January 16, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned Red Dye 03.The ban applies to foods, beverages, oral drugs, and dietary supplements. Although cancer concerns were cited as the primary rationale for removing Red Dye 03, no doubt public pressure and President’s support for Kennedy’s MAHA movement, contributed to the swift decision. Manufacturers have until January 2027 to remove the dye from food products, and makers of ingested drugs like cough syrup have until January 2028.

According to Center for Science in the Public Interest, a watchdog and consumer advocacy group that calls for safer and healthier foods, dozens of large food manufacturers, restaurant chains, and retailers have pledged to remove ingredients like artificial colors and flavors from their products over the past decade. But, many of these companies have gone back on or have not yet met their promises. In some cases, the corporations have removed color additives in other countries but blame American consumers for the decision to break their commitments here in the U.S. , contesting that they prefer the way food looks with unnatural dyes.

However, in the past year, Kennedy and the MAHA movement have generated more awareness around food than any other health movement in history. Thousands of concerned citizens, particularly mothers, have been mobilized to begin putting pressure on both food companies and lawmakers to change U.S. food policy to benefit all Americans, not just those who can afford to make healthier choices.

For food activists, it’s only the beginning.