Foodborne illnesses take a back seat to other issues at Kennedy’s meeting with food leaders

After a meeting with representatives from some of the country’s mega food producers, the Secretary of Health and Human Services said he focused on food safety.

However, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly did not bring foodborne pathogens or traceability of foods to the table. 

The meeting on Monday, March 10, included representatives from Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Tyson Foods, WK Kellogg Co., The J.M. Smucker Company and PepsiCo, along with the Consumer Brands Association.

“Great discussion today … advancing food safety and radical transparency to protect the health of all Americans, especially our children,” Kennedy wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“We will strengthen consumer trust by getting toxins out of our food.”

Melissa Hockstad, Consumer Brands Association president and CEO, issued a statement about the meeting. She said the agenda included discussion about working together to maintain consumer access to safe, affordable and convenient product choices

“It was a constructive conversation,” she added. “We look forward to continued engagement with the secretary and the qualified experts within HHS to support public health, build consumer trust and promote consumer choice.”

Much of the conversation reportedly involved Kennedy’s opinions about food additives — specifically food dyes — which was one of the points he campaigned on during his presidential run in 2024. He has said that food manufacturers have endangered the public by adding chemicals to food that could be eliminated.

Ironically, among the recent staff firings at the Food and Drug Administration were employees in key positions in the agency’s division that researches and oversees food chemicals.

Two areas that didn’t get attention at the food meeting were foodborne pathogens and foodborne illness outbreaks. The topic of food traceability was also missing from Kennedy’s agenda. The FDA is responsible for 80 percent of the nation’s food supply, including fresh and processed foods.

The FDA has the responsibility of overseeing food recalls and does key investigative work on foodborne illness outbreaks. The agency uses traceability to track down foods behind outbreaks. A new food traceability rule is scheduled to become effective in 2026, but it is unclear if that new regulation will be allowed to more forward under Kennedy’s stint as Health and Human Services Secretary. 

Food businesses have voiced opposition to the traceability rule, saying it would cost too much to track the sales and purchasing of their products.

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