WASHINGTON — Senators on both sides of the aisle blasted the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday for not doing enough to prevent a surge in obesity and diabetes in the United States. The agency’s commissioner, Robert Califf, turned the blame back around, arguing that if Congress wants the FDA to issue tighter regulations on the food and beverage industry, it should give the agency more money and authority.
Concerns about issues such as obesity prevalence and food additives are not new, but the clashes reflected the inroads being made by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is set to be nominated as the next health secretary by President-elect Donald Trump, as well as the Make America Healthy Again movement. The movement’s goal is to curb chronic disease, and one of its least controversial ideas is cleansing the food supply of potentially harmful additives and ultra-processed products.
The issue is uniting lawmakers of various political stripes. Both Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) spoke of the need for stronger food regulations during a hearing Thursday, though Sanders railed more aggressively against food companies and Cassidy made explicit references to Trump and the MAHA movement.
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