Op-Ed: RFK Jr’s At the Helm – But Can We Really Make America Healthy Again?

In this exclusive op-ed, Daily Harvest CEO Ricky Silver lays out what Robert F Kennedy Jr’s confirmation as health secretary means for the US food system, and how we can move forward.

In arguably the most polarised moment of our country, finally there is a problem it seems we can all agree on. We have a chronic disease epidemic that has gone unaddressed and our food and healthcare systems need major reforms.

According to the CDC, six in 10 American adults have at least one chronic disease, while four in 10 have two or more. Ultra-processed foods make up about 60% of total caloric intake in our diets, which has contributed to an adult obesity rate of over 40%. And the U.S. spends nearly 18% of its GDP on healthcare, more than double other developed nations. 

For decades, movements for healthier food, organic agriculture and healthcare for all could largely be viewed through the lens of the traditional Democratic party platform. But the party that has historically prided itself on representing the working class — which should certainly include standing up to big corporations that use cheap chemicals and ultraprocessing technology to produce nutrient-deficient food and that prioritize profit over truly healthier outcomes – is on the verge of losing the plot.

Thanks to the viral spread of information (and misinformation) across social media, and in the wake of a global pandemic that wreaked havoc on our health and accelerated distrust in our institutions, something massive has occurred. The Make America Healthy Again movement has broken through to the mainstream, culminating in President Trump’s appointment and the US Senate’s confirmation of Robert F Kennedy Jr as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

In his inaugural address, Trump pledged to “end the chronic disease epidemic and keep our children safe, healthy and disease-free.” At the same time, his controversial HHS pick signals a dramatic shift in how the administration may approach public health policy.

People are pissed with the current state of affairs, and they should be. For decades, the industrial food system has focused on making cheap, addictive products while the industrial agriculture complex has flooded crops with chemicals to prop up a handful of commodities in service of petroleum, plastics and a cheap food system.

Meanwhile, our healthcare system, driven by siloed expertise and big pharma, has prioritized treating illness over prevention and holistic paths to healthy outcomes.

Kennedy’s confirmation as HHS Secretary, despite his history of promoting scientifically disputed health claims, reflects the depth of public frustration with these systemic failures.

Can RFK’s Make America Healthy Again movement keep its momentum?

Now that Kennedy has the power to shape national food and health policy, there’s a real risk that evidence-based solutions could be overshadowed by contentious and medically unsupported claims and hyper-partisan squabbling.

As he takes control of the 80,000-employee agency, the question isn’t just whether he can bring attention to systemic dietary and healthcare failures, but whether he can implement practical, proven public health interventions and long overdue investments in a more resilient and health-conscious food system. 

I am grateful for the growing list of brilliant advocates challenging the status quo of food and healthcare like Dr. Casey Means and Dr. Mark Hyman who are harnessing this political moment and aligning their fight with those who are willing to listen.

As the CEO of Daily Harvest, a food company on a mission to make it easier for people to eat organic fruits and vegetables (the foundation of a healthier diet and a more sustainable agricultural system), I was beyond frustrated to see how little the Harris campaign spoke to the chronic disease epidemic, the failures of the healthcare industry, and the massive flaws in our food systems. Particularly given some of the important investments made by the Biden administration, including the $300 million in new funding for the USDA to support the organic transition.

But while RFK and the MAHA movement gained momentum by joining forces with President Trump and his campaign, I’m skeptical that the new administration — which governs and recently campaigned on massive deregulation, climate change skepticism and a coziness to billionaires and massive corporate interests — will remain committed to the movement and act accordingly.

American consumers deserve a bipartisan commitment to real change. And that can only come with more transparency and openness about the root causes of our systemic problems.

Time to put politics aside

I’ve spent my entire career in the food industry, from joining PepsiCo after completing my Masters in Chemistry to now leading Daily Harvest, one of the most popular organic food companies investing in the future of food.

Having experienced the hurdles that hinder companies from prioritizing truly ‘good for you’ food and having witnessed the misalignment of incentives at the intersection of the healthcare and food industries firsthand, I can say definitively that the status quo is failing our people.

Reimagining this system should be at the top of our government’s objectives. It will not be easy. But there is no world in which we truly Make America Healthy Again without fundamentally realigning who and what outcomes we prioritize.

We must do the following: 

• Develop and deploy a roadmap of investments and government incentives that move our national agricultural system away from chemical pesticides and cheap commodities that degrade our soil and our food system. Organic must be uplifted as a true North Star for agriculture and the bottlenecks that get in the way of more adoption need to be addressed head on. 

• Meet international standards that go beyond the current regulations that allow chemical additives and ultra-processed foods to wreak havoc on our bodies. The EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy is one example that’s moving countries toward a healthier and more sustainable model.

• Incentivize corporate collaboration to address the supply chain gaps and reduce the financial burdens that make investing in critical new technology and infrastructure impossible for many businesses. Through easily accessible grant funding, tax incentives, and private/public partnerships, investing in a healthier food system should be treated like good business. 

These efforts will require decades of consistency and commitment to tackle difficult challenges and root out corruption, aspects of our Government that we have been severely lacking. But the greatest change in our history comes in moments when voters and consumers hold those in charge accountable.

We should all be motivated to make America healthy. It’s time to put politics aside and get to work.