Bobby Jr.'s new four basic food groups: lard, road kill, raw milk and sewage

Critics Question RFK Jr.’s Changes to Food Guidance That Emphasize Red Meat

Bobby Jr. turns the food pyramid upside down.

By Chris Walker

This article was originally published by Truthout

On Wednesday, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who has long peddled disinformation on vaccines and autism — announced new national dietary guidelines that are being criticized by many dieticians and experts on obesity.

The new guidelines, available to view at realfood.gov, emphasize red meats, dairy, healthy fats, and vegetables over grains and processed foods. 

The guidelines are presented as an upside-down pyramid, mimicking the classic food pyramid that federal health agencies promoted in the 1990s. HHS officials praised the changes as the “most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in history.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt similarly heralded the changes, claiming they would positively impact children, members of the military and veterans, and recipients of the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food program. She also claimed, without evidence, that Americans would save “thousands” on grocery store costs due to the new guidance. 

But several food and diet experts questioned the changes, noting that it was problematic to encourage Americans to consume more meats and fatty foods.

“The Guidelines err in promoting meat and dairy products, which are principal drivers of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity,” read a statement from Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. 

“I’m very disappointed in the new pyramid that features red meat and saturated fat sources at the very top, as if that’s something to prioritize,” Christopher Gardner, a nutrition expert at Stanford University, told NPR. “It does go against decades and decades of evidence and research.”

“Flipping the food pyramid upside down to encourage more meat and dairy consumption is complete ignorance. It’s a giant step back from decades of evidence-based nutrition research and science,” registered dietitian nutritionist Ashley Kitchens, who promotes vegan-based diets, told Truthout.

Kitchens also questioned whether specific food industries influenced the new guidelines.

“Who is financially benefiting from these recommendations? The meat and dairy industry have a long history of influencing our dietary guidance in the U.S. and these new guidelines are the perfect example,” she added.

Evan Nadler, an adjunct associate professor at George Washington University and a former co-director of Children’s National Hospital’s obesity programs, who is considered the country’s leading pediatric bariatric surgeon, also commented on the changes.

“In short, it’s a mixed bag,” Nadler told Truthout. “The advice to limit ultra-processed food, sugar, and refined carbohydrate intake is long overdue and likely helpful for almost everybody, but the advice to increase red meat and whole milk intake isn’t evidence-based and could be especially harmful for those at risk for cardiovascular disease. Similarly, Americans already eat plenty of protein, so there is no basis to increase protein intake as advocated in the recommendations. Increased protein intake can be an issue for those with kidney disease in particular.”

“In general, the new inverted food pyramid is likely to confuse more people than it will help,” Nadler added.

Most Americans are generally skeptical of Kennedy’s health recommendations, polling has found, likely due to his frequent issuance of guidelines that flout scientific studies and testing. A Quinnipiac University poll from September, for example, found that only 39 percent of Americans trust his advice, while 57 percent said they are not confident in what he has to say. And a YouGov poll, also from September, found that only 37 percent of Americans approve of Kennedy’s performance as HHS director, while 51 percent disapprove.

Kennedy’s promotion of disinformation prompted six former surgeons general to issue a warning about his medical advice in October, stating that he is “endangering the health of the nation.”

“Rather than combating the rapid spread of health misinformation with facts and clarity, Kennedy is amplifying it,” the surgeons general said. “The consequences aren’t abstract. They are measured in lives lost, disease outbreaks and an erosion of public trust that will take years to rebuild.”

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