Donald Trump's administration unveiled its strategy Tuesday to combat chronic diseases affecting young Americans, such as obesity and diabetes, presenting a multitude of avenues to combat junk food, in particular... while greatly protecting the food industry.
"We are now the sickest country in the world," insisted US Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy Jr., who has been criticized for his anti-vaccine stance, as he presented his recommendations for combating obesity, diabetes, and mental health disorders.
Numbering 128, these appear very vague and are mainly based on calls to study more closely the effects of certain pollutants, micro-plastics or medicines, and to better promote balanced diets.
This roadmap disappointed both experts in these fields and supporters of the initiative due to the notable absence of strong actions against pesticides or ultra-processed food.
While the document "contains many ideas for action," it "lacks details and is unconvincing in terms of regulatory measures," Marion Nestle, professor emeritus of nutrition and public health, told AFP.
"This is manipulation on an unprecedented level," says Scott Faber, an environmental regulations expert at the American organization EWG.
The Trump administration "has the power to ban pesticides and food chemicals that are banned in other countries. But instead of doing so, it is facilitating the approval process for new toxic substances," he laments.
– Virtual omission of pesticides –
This roadmap represents a "small victory" for industry, says Zen Honeycutt, an activist close to the "Make America Great Again" (MAHA) movement, of which Robert Kennedy Jr. is a leading figure, modeled on Donald Trump's MAGA slogan (Make America Great Again).
"This is a blatant example of the corruption carried out by chemical companies," she told AFP, not hiding her bitterness at the near-omission of pesticides.
The report places more emphasis on the use of "precision technologies" to reduce their use in agriculture than on possible bans, a failure that does not undermine its confidence in Robert Kennedy Jr., a former renowned environmental lawyer and fervent critic of pesticides and junk food.
The minister also promised to combat the "overmedicalization" of American children by strengthening vaccine regulations and banning pharmaceutical advertising, which he accuses of playing a role in what he calls an "epidemic" of chronic diseases.
– A controversial report –
The United States is in fact the only country in the world, along with New Zealand, to authorize pharmaceutical laboratories to advertise their treatments.
Instead of a ban, tougher legislation on such advertising was announced on Tuesday.
This action plan against chronic diseases was preceded a few months ago by the publication of an initial report on the causes.
The latter had pointed out the possible responsibility of ultra-processed food, pesticides and even screens in the development of chronic diseases in children, while sowing doubt about vaccines.
Robert Kennedy Jr., who has repeatedly promoted a false theory linking the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine to autism, has repeatedly attacked U.S. vaccination recommendations in recent months.
Deemed partly simplistic or unfounded by some on scientific consensus, the conclusions of the first report had sparked even more controversy because they were based partly on scientific studies... created from scratch.
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