The Food and Drug Administration ought to take on the food industry to protect Americans from ultra-processed foods loaded with salt, fat, and sugar, said Senate Health committee chairman Bernie Sanders on Thursday. “That is your job,” Sanders interjected when FDA commissioner Robert Califf said improvements in the U.S. diet will require societal consensus over the long term.
“For starters, we need strong front-of-package food labels so all consumers, especially children, can be warned as to which products are harmful to their health,” said Sanders during a hearing on “the diabetes and obesity epidemics.” Congress also should ban junk food ads aimed at children, he said. Sanders, a critic of corporate power, filed a bill in April to achieve both goals.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used the slogan “Make America Healthy Again” during President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign to garner support for healthier and more natural foods with fewer pesticide residues. Trump has nominated Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the FDA. Kennedy has said all processed food should be removed from school lunch programs, overseen by the USDA.
Califf said it was difficult to translate popular causes into federal policy. The rulemaking process is slow, he said, proposals must be buttressed by scientific evidence, and “every little thing we do, unless specifically, in detail, instructed by Congress, it’s not just that we lose in court, but we lose years.”
More than 10 percent of Americans have type 2 diabetes and more than 40 percent of adults are obese. Ninety percent of people with diabetes are also obese, said Sanders. “These two epidemics go hand in hand.”
Most Americans ignore the government’s advice on healthy eating, which includes choosing foods and beverages rich in nutrients and limiting consumption of added sugars, saturated fat, salt, and alcohol. The average American diet scores 50 out of 100 on the Healthy Eating Index, which compares a person’s eating habits with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Sanders lambasted the FDA for taking 14 years to develop a front-of-package label, submitted for White House review in late November, while the food industry made “huge profits by enticing children and adults to consume ultra-processed foods and beverages loaded up with sugar, salt, and saturated fat.” After asking what the FDA has done to address obesity and diabetes, he said, “As far as I can tell, not much.”
“FDA is trying to do its part within its authorities and budget, but successful change in the trajectory of our health depends on reaching a societal consensus that we will do this together,” said Califf. “The food we eat is contributing to America’s unfortunate position, with the lowest life expectancy among large, high-income nations.”
Sanders said the FDA should be rallying Congress to stand up to special interests. Responded Califf, “We have an industry that if you tried to change it overnight, there are farmers all over the United States who would not be able to grow the crops they’re currently growing.”
“A great place to start” against obesity “is the nation’s food supply and the changes in Americans’ diet over the decades,” said Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who is expected to chair the committee in the next session of Congress. “The incoming Trump administration is indicating that combating obesity [and] promoting healthy foods is a top priority. Many of President Trump’s concerns about food transparency are echoed by Democratic colleagues, including Chair Sanders.”
To watch a video of the hearing or to read Califf’s written testimony, click here.