During Day 2 of His Hearings, RFK Jr. Emphasizes ‘Toxins’ in Food

In the few moments where food and health were mentioned, Kennedy repeatedly focused his answers on chemical additives in the food supply.

By Lisa Held

January 30, 2025

January 30, 2025 – Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was on Capitol Hill again today for the second part of his confirmation hearing to lead the sprawling Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Today’s hearing was with the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which Senator Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) kicked off by saying he agreed with Kennedy on “the need to address ultra-processed food and to reduce obesity, the leading cause of chronic disease, and therefore shorter life spans. This will be a priority in this committee, and I look forward to collaborating with you if you are confirmed.”

Unlock the Full Story with a Civil Eats Membership

Expand your understanding of food systems as a Civil Eats member. Enjoy unlimited access to our groundbreaking reporting, engage with experts, and connect with a community of changemakers.

Join today

Cassidy then quickly pivoted to his concerns about Kennedy’s past and current beliefs on the science, safety, and efficacy of vaccines. That conversation, and the high stakes associated with it, dominated the rest of the hearing.

In the few other moments where food and disease prevention were mentioned, Kennedy repeatedly focused his answers on chemical additives in the food supply. He skewered the GRAS (“generally recognized as safe”) standard, which the FDA uses to allow certain additives into food without the rigorous safety testing other ingredients face, and said food companies shouldn’t have different ingredient lists for foods they sell in the U.S. vs. Europe.

Later, Kennedy said, “NIH, CDC, and FDA should identify the toxins that are contributing to chronic disease and eliminate them.” (Link to this post.)

You’d be a great Civil Eats member…

Civil Eats is a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, and we count on our members to keep producing our award-winning work.

Readers like you are the reason why we’re able to keep digging deep into stories you won’t find anywhere else. When you become a member, your support directly funds our journalism—from paying our reporters to keeping the internet on in our remote offices across the United States.

Your membership will also come with great benefits, including our award-winning newsletter, The Deep Dish, which is full of relevant and timely reporting, access to our members’ Slack community, and online salons as a way to engage with reporters, food and agriculture experts, and each other.

Civil Eats Supporting Membership $60/year $6/month

Give One, Get One Membership $100/year

Learn more about our membership program

Lisa Held is Civil Eats’ senior staff reporter and contributing editor. Read more >

Follow:

Twitter

Like the story?
Join the conversation.

Food Policy Tracker

The US Capitol building, where Congress meets. (Photo credit: Andrey Denisyuk, Getty Images)

Featured

HARRINGTON, MAINE - AUGUST 08: Brandon Mott loads boxes of wild blueberries onto a truck as they harvest them from the plants in the fields of independent wild Maine blueberry grower Lynch Hill Farms on August 08, 2025 in Harrington, Maine. Independent wild Maine blueberry growers in the state are experiencing challenging times as their crops face several threats posed by climate change, from increased frequency of extreme weather events like droughts, floods, destructive frost, and warmer temperatures. Courtney Hammond, Lynch Hill Farms Manager, thinks his business is possibly in jeopardy as his crops are producing fewer marketable berries than normal. He, along with other independent growers, continues to try to adapt to the weather, but they could be reaching the point of no return, said Mr. Hammond. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A Key Agriculture Census Doesn’t Reflect Reality, Researcher Warns

By Rebekah Alvey

September 24, 2025

In a recent paper, University of Iowa professor Silvia Secchi finds that the current Census of Agriculture is neither complete nor accurate, and could skew federal research and investment.

During Day 2 of His Hearings, RFK Jr. Emphasizes ‘Toxins’ in Food