HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. calls for returning to 'real food' in updated dietary guidance

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., introduced at the USDA event as Secretary of Health and Human Services, criticized previous dietary guidance as shaped by processed-food industry interests and described the updated guidelines as concise and science-based. He said the earlier guidance was a lengthy document written by "processed food industry lobbyists" and said the new guidelines could be summed up in "three words. Eat real food." "You can summarize the entire thing in three words. Eat real food," he said.

Kennedy argued the change restores whole milk in schools after decades of guidance that favored lower-fat options, calling the updated guidance "science-based" and citing peer-reviewed publications and government databases as sources. He framed the policy shift as correcting a long-standing orthodoxy and said the new guidance supports both child nutrition and domestic agriculture.