The Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in a 52-48 vote on February 13, 2025. In this position, Kennedy will oversee the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, among others.
Kennedy’s past comments about food safety and chemicals in food could be an indication of what his leadership may mean for the food and the food packaging industry. He has consistently vocalized his opposition to “highly chemical, intensive processed foods,” or “ultra-processed foods.” Kennedy also has called out the food supply as being the “primary culprit” of “poisoning the American people.” During his opening remarks at his Senate confirmation hearings, Kennedy stated, “We will scrutinize the chemical additives in our food supply.”
Prior to Kennedy’s appointment, FDA announced a reorganization to create a unified Human Foods program in January 2023. FDA first published a List of Select Chemicals in the Food Supply Under FDA Review in July 2023 that the Agency regularly updates. The updated list includes food-contact substances, along with food ingredients and environmental and other contaminants. (For background information on FDA’s Human Foods Program and increased oversight of chemical substances used in food packaging, see the packaginglaw.com article, A New Day Dawns at FDA with the Establishment of the Human Foods Program.)