(Reuters) – Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental and anti-vaccine activist, was selected by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, the United States’ top health agency.
The following are some of the main policy positions Kennedy has taken in recent months in editorials, tweets and interviews:
Vaccines
Kennedy has criticized vaccines, including making false medical claims that vaccines are linked to autism. He opposed state and federal COVID-19 restrictions. However, he told Reuters every American who wants a vaccine for themselves or their children will have access to them.
Processed foods
Kennedy calls for banning hundreds of food additives and chemicals. He has called for getting ultra-processed foods out of school lunches as part of a goal to reduce the incidence of diet-related chronic diseases.
Nutrition guidelines
He has said the nutrition department at the Food and Drug Administration that is in charge of nutrition labels on food has “to go. They’re not doing their job. They’re not protecting our kids.”
Weight loss drugs
Kennedy has criticized the popular Novo Nordisk NOVOb.CO drug Ozempic, which is often prescribed for weight loss, saying it focused on symptoms of the obesity crisis rather than fixing the food system, and that the drugs “gladden the wallets” of pharmaceutical executives.
Drug Research
Kennedy has said half of research budgets from the National Institutes of Health should be directed toward preventive, alternative and holistic approaches to health.
Raw Milk
Kennedy wants to end the “FDA’s war on public health” including what he called “aggressive suppression” of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, and more.
Fluoride
He has called for removing fluoride from public water.
Medical schools
He has said classes in nutrition at federally funded medical schools should be required.
Farms
He has called for revisiting pesticide and other chemical-use standards, as well as reforming crop subsidies.
(Reporting by Michael Erman and Deena Beasley; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
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