Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took the stage during Sen. Ron Johnson’s (R-WI) health and nutrition panel to deliver a dire warning: America’s food system is failing its people, and children are paying the price. Kennedy claimed the nation is “mass poisoning” its youth through harmful food policies and corporate-driven health systems.
In his testimony, Kennedy criticized the government’s food assistance programs, noting that 70% of food stamps are spent on processed foods. “We give eight times as much subsidies to tobacco in this country than we do to fruits and vegetables,” Kennedy added, emphasizing the absurdity of such policies if the goal is to improve public health.
The panel, titled “American Health & Nutrition: A Second Opinion,” focused on issues like childhood obesity, processed food consumption, and the influence of Big Pharma. Kennedy didn’t mince words, accusing agencies like the FDA and CDC of being “controlled by giant for-profit corporations” that prioritize their own interests over the well-being of Americans.
Kennedy argued that corruption within regulatory agencies has turned them against the American people. “These conflicts have transformed our regulatory agencies into predators against the American people and particularly our children,” he stated. He called for major reforms, claiming that the system can be fixed quickly, but only if corruption is rooted out.
He also leveled criticism at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), claiming that 80% of their grants go to scientists who profit from royalties on products they develop. According to Kennedy, these financial incentives create conflicts of interest that undermine public trust.
