Trump administration, HHS redefining processed foods: Full RFK Jr. press conference

[0:05] hello everybody thank you all for being here i know that many of you remember august 23rd 2024 [0:13] and on that day president trump and i promised that we would make america healthy again [0:19] we promised to transform our food systems and confront one of the most powerful drivers of [0:26] america's chronic disease crisis almost exactly two years later we're here celebrating the most [0:34] transformative 18 months of food reform in modern american history and today we're taking two more [0:48] historic steps to deliver on that promise that we made two years ago first we're overhauling the [0:56] generally recognized to say for the grass standards for that and the entire grass framework we're [1:03] proposing a rule that would end the practice of companies making grass determinations [1:10] without notifying the fda the proposal will give the agency greater visibility [1:16] into the substances that are entering our food supply second alongside my friend and colleague [1:23] agricultural secretary brooke rollins we submitted for final review the federal government's first [1:29] definition of ultra processed foods these two actions will change how the federal government [1:42] oversees what's in our food and how we understand the foods that americans eat [1:48] nearly 60 percent of american diet is made up of ultra processed foods for our kids it can be up to 70 [1:56] obesity now affects more than one in five american children [2:01] and more than 70 percent of american adults are obese or overweight [2:05] the costs are spiritual physical and financial america spends nearly five trillion dollars a year on [2:15] health care far more than any nation in the world and we have the worst health outcomes we remain [2:22] the world's sickest country 90 of those expenditures are for people with chronic disease and mental health [2:30] conditions many of them food induced we cannot spend our way out of a chronic disease epidemic while ignoring [2:38] the things that are making americans sick food is the most powerful weapon that we have in our arsenal [2:46] to change the trajectory of the chronic disease epidemic parents should not need a chemistry degree to [2:55] understand what their children are eating americans deserve real transparency they deserve real food [3:03] and that brings me back to grass when i came to hhs i asked the fda how many ingredients do we have in [3:11] our food and they said they didn't know they said it could be 4 000 it could be 12 000 it's probably [3:21] somewhere around 10 000. think about that we don't even know exactly how many chemicals are in the food [3:29] that americans eat every day and the food industry continues to develop novel compounds and chemical [3:37] combinations that do not exist in nature our bodies did not evolve consuming many of these substances [3:46] and that makes rigorous science and transparent safety review even more important especially as we [3:55] learn more and more about the role of ultra processed food in triggering chronic inflammation and the role of [4:02] chronic inflammation in the chronic disease epidemic yet under the current system the fda does not even have [4:11] a complete picture of what is entering the food supply and neither of course to the american people our reason [4:20] is the way that the grass system evolved congress created grass in 1958 to allow ingredients that were [4:32] generally recognized safe that were well characterized were well understood ingredients like salt and vinegar [4:41] to be used by companies without having to go through expensive or or long duration safety studies but over time [4:51] that narrow exemption became a massive loophole the companies could make their own grass determinations and [4:58] put substances into the food supply without even notifying the fda that's why the fda staff could not tell me [5:08] how many ingredients are in our food industry hijacked the loophole and drove a convoy of chemical trucks through it [5:17] straight into the american food supply the fda was left with a major blind spot an administration after [5:25] administration allowed that system to persist and congress has not fixed it either but this administration has [5:34] repeatedly demonstrated that it will confront entrenched interests when they stand in the way of public [5:41] health and that's why president trump today are taking action that should have been taken decades ago [5:48] to fix this broken system and to close the grass loophole once and for all our action starts with a basic [6:04] principle if you can't define a problem you can't solve it research is linked to high consumption of [6:10] ultra processed food to inflammation and to chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes and heart [6:17] disease and alzheimer's disease yet researchers and federal agencies still lack a common [6:24] definition federal definition of ultra processed foods brooke and i are changing that together we have [6:31] developed the federal government's first proposed definition of ultra processed foods thousands of americans [6:38] researchers researchers consumer organizations and members of industry provided input to this [6:43] process over the past 10 months the first time we will have a consistent federal framework [6:51] to study these foods to understand their effects on human health and to build stronger [6:57] and lasting nutrition policy these actions build on 18 months of sweeping changes to federal nutrition policy [7:06] we updated the dietary guidelines around gold standard science with one simple message eat real food [7:15] we moved to eliminate petroleum-based synthetic dyes from our food supply nearly 80 percent of medical schools [7:23] across 36 states committed to expanding nutrition education to more than 40 hours and we're working to ensure that [7:33] federal food dollars support healthier meals in our schools in our hospitals in our military installations [7:41] in veterans facilities and other institutions we're changing how the federal government approaches nutrition [7:48] by putting prevention at the center of american health policy and we are changing the dietary culture in our country [7:55] and we're seeing those results already over the past year sales growth of real food outpaced ultra processed food for the first time [8:05] by approximately seven percent and industry is responding food companies across the country have made extraordinary commitments [8:14] to reformulate their products and remove artificial dyes just last week [8:20] kellogg announced that it will eliminate artificial colors from all of its cereals [8:26] by the end of 2026 a full year ahead of schedule [8:31] graft heinz general mills [8:34] nestle conagra [8:36] jm smucker and oots are all among the companies that have also made major commitments [8:43] to remove artificial colors and many other additives from their products [8:48] this is a fundamental shift we are changing federal nutrition policy [8:54] americans are changing the way that they eat [8:58] and companies are changing what they put on our storage shelves [9:02] but hhs cannot complete this work [9:06] through administrative action alone we are doing everything that we can do within our legal power [9:12] we're using the authority that congress has given hhs and fda [9:18] to strengthen oversight and protect the american food supply [9:23] but congress must build on these actions through legislation [9:27] congress needs to give fda [9:30] the additional tools that it needs to keep pace with a changing food supply [9:35] and protect the american people nearly two years ago [9:40] president trump and i promised to take on big food [9:44] to overhaul outdated food regulations to tell the american people the truth about what's in their food [9:51] i thank president trump for his courage and resolve to make the health of the american people [9:58] a national priority and thank you to the maha movement and to the millions of americans across the political spectrum [10:07] who believe that our children deserve to eat real food you built this movement from the ground up [10:15] you demanded change and today we are transforming our food system because of you [10:20] before i leave i want to recognize two people who helped drive this work forward and without whom [10:28] we couldn't have accomplished these things one of those you all know [10:32] galley means thank you for your persistence your conviction your relentless commitment to transforming our food system [10:42] and then there is a man who helped turn much of his vision into a reality [10:47] kyle diamantes has been one of the most driving most important driving forces behind our food policy reforms from the beginning [10:56] he led the fda's human food programs with professionalism discipline and unwavering focus on the health of the american people [11:05] and now as acting fda commissioner [11:08] he is leading the entire agency [11:11] at one of the most [11:13] consequential moments in american history [11:15] kyle is thoughtful he's steady he's respected by everyone who works with him [11:23] and he gets things done [11:25] please join me in giving a huge welcome to our acting fda commissioner [11:42] thank you secretary kennedy good morning everyone it's always difficult to follow the secretary [11:48] particularly when i don't have a walkout video like that that was really something wasn't it [11:52] so look instead this morning i'm going to talk about the nuts and bolts of today's grass announcement [11:58] which alongside the dietary guidelines and all of the other accomplishments you see on these signs [12:04] across this room reflects yet another historic achievement accomplished during this administration [12:10] as secretary kennedy rightly said all americans deserve confidence that the ingredients in their food [12:16] are subject to transparent science-based oversight and today's actions strengthen both sides of that [12:22] equation by proposing mandatory grass notifications we are closing critical information gaps and giving fda [12:30] greater visibility into the substances in our food supply by advancing a proposed definition of ultra [12:36] processed foods hhs and usda seek to establish a stronger foundation for future nutrition research [12:43] together these reforms represent a significant step toward a more transparent and modern food safety [12:49] system to understand grass reform you really have to first go back 70 years to 1958 when congress passed [12:56] and president eisenhower signed what's now known as the food additive amendments which was driven largely by [13:02] concerns at that time not dissimilar to today over increasing use of chemicals in food processing this 1958 law [13:10] mandated that the use of certain substances in food must be approved by fda via a pre-market review and [13:17] approval process that process intended by congress to be the primary pathway for ingredients to enter our food [13:23] supply requires that entities submit a formal petition for fda approval before the ingredient can be added to [13:31] the food supply at the same time however congress curated an exemption from this pre-market approval [13:37] process for certain substances that congress believed were generally recognized as safe either through [13:43] scientific procedures or their common use now at this time in 1958 congress largely had in mind common [13:49] ingredients like salt vinegar and flour as the secretary mentioned that have been used safely for [13:55] generations and thus did not require further federal approval to ensure safety this pathway this grass [14:02] exemption pathway was intended to be just that an exemption from the otherwise required pre-market approval [14:08] process over time however the grass pathway became the primary pathway by which ingredients now enter [14:15] the u.s food supply far exceeding the actual pre-market approval process and because the framework for grass [14:22] has allowed manufacturers to self-affirm or self-grasp the status of ingredients without notifying fda [14:28] the agency continues to operate with a lack of comprehensive knowledge of the substances present in the food [14:34] supply while voluntary grass frameworks were informative to the agency in the past our experience has [14:41] highlighted significant challenges which combined with rapidly evolving food supply demonstrates a clear [14:47] need to modernize under secretary kennedy and president trump's leadership this administration is committed [14:54] to taking action to provide greater transparency and oversight to the consumers who demand it and that [14:59] starts with today's announcement today's proposed rule seeks to formally update fda regulations to [15:05] require any person introducing a new grass substance or use into the food supply to notify the agency of the [15:12] basis for that grass conclusion unless an exemption applies prospectively this transition from a voluntary to a [15:20] mandatory notification program would close a decades-old information gap it would give fda greater visibility [15:26] into the substances used in human and animal food enabling us to more efficiently knowledgeably and [15:31] timely regulate the safety of our nation's food supply for ingredients already on the market we are [15:38] proposing a practical time limited and streamlined submission pathway that provides a predictable regulatory [15:44] landscape while expanding a public facing inventory of submitted grass notices again aimed at driving [15:50] transparency because this is a proposed rule we want to be clear that we are laying out a blueprint for public [15:56] review one designed to work effectively for fda oversight as well as for responsible industry and consumer [16:02] safety advocates alike this proposed rule will soon be available for public comment i actually think it [16:08] went live at 11 15 this morning and we strongly encourage all stakeholders to weigh in by submitting [16:14] comments to help shape the final outcome i want to be clear this proposed rule advances and improves the [16:19] agency's oversight of food safety via regulation while respecting the limitations of our authority under the [16:25] statute we know there is bipartisan support for grass reform on the hill and this administration will [16:31] continue working with congress on legislative options to further address and advance grass reform [16:36] and other important nutritional policies i want to again express my gratitude to president trump for [16:41] his commitment to advancing public health as well as to secretary kennedy for his leadership on this and [16:47] many other issues with that i will now turn it over to my colleague cali means thank you can we get one more [17:02] round of applause for the man who is reminded the world that there's an f in fda kyle diamantes and um [17:14] can we i think the kids on the stage are behaving very well deserve an amazing round of applause um [17:23] this is a big day for every kid in america every mom that cares about food safety uh it's an emotional day [17:29] for a lot of us here at hhs because about two years ago after the election secretary kennedy tasked his team [17:37] with coming up with a list of the boldest most aggressive set of food reforms we could possibly [17:43] accomplish in the first two years of the trump administration he asked us to engage with leading [17:48] advocates and academics on the left and the right and to ignore conventional political wisdom about [17:53] what was feasible at the time as we pursued and investigated these policies we were told by everybody [18:00] that removing soda and candy from snap was impossible there's no way we were told that we win this battle [18:08] with special interests when they received tens of billions of dollars of subsidies from this [18:12] program well ladies and gentlemen as we sit here today the majority of states in the country have [18:18] removed soda or candy from snap we were told by everyone that it would be impossible to flip the food [18:28] pyramid and advise against for the first time advise against highly processed food refined carbohydrates [18:35] and added sugars today the food pyramid is flipped and we are currently working working to shift [18:42] hundreds of billions of dollars from military to school meals to dozens of other programs towards [18:48] real food we were told that ridding the food supply of artificial dyes was a quixotic goal [18:56] 60 of children's food has these ingredients and advocates have tried for decades to get them out of [19:02] food as secretary kennedy mentioned last week kellogg's said that they are a year ahead of schedule [19:09] of getting the dyes out of food joining the majority of the u.s food supply we were advised that grass [19:15] reform has been one of the top objectives for food advocates for decades and would be impossible to [19:23] enshrine in regulation and today we are celebrating transformative grass regulations in a post market [19:30] review framework in total history will remember the first two years of the trump administration [19:36] as the most significant period of food reform in modern history where we have made more progress on every [19:44] single item every item that secretary kennedy laid out in that initial list that many said were impossible [19:50] during the transition we also talked with secretary kennedy [19:53] about what the ultimate goals of our work here would be what the ultimate goals of the maha [19:58] movement would be and he was very clear lower chronic disease rates and throughout the inevitable [20:04] toxicity in the political climate and snarky political articles we recently learned that after decades [20:10] of unabated increasing the american obesity rate has seen a 7.3 percent relative decline in just the [20:17] past couple years now some of our friends might like to give glp1's credit and maybe there do some but [20:30] i think all of us can agree there is something cultural there's something spiritual happening around [20:35] every kitchen table of them in america today people are reading food labels more and becoming more [20:40] conscious about what we put in our body and we just learned that real purchases real food purchases [20:47] are up seven percent last year the greatest increase on record additionally ultra processed food is seeing [20:58] their lowest growth ever in recorded history the american diet is shifting and there is clearly [21:05] something happening in the market and it is a good thing that every boardroom in america is grappling [21:10] with the stark consumer shift away from ultra processed food these maha policies are impossible [21:17] to argue against i've heard every argument there's not a good argument against them they're supported [21:21] by 90 of americans and there really there really isn't any any argument why we can't do these things [21:27] to have a better food system the truth is we must eat less ultra processed food as secretary can be [21:33] mentioned it's 70 of our child's diet it's 10 to 20 in other countries there's something clearly wrong [21:39] happening we must fix regulations that have been perverted by decades of corporate capture and we [21:44] must have transparency about what is in our kids food transparency is crucial to a free market and food [21:50] transparency has been gutted over previous decades which the trump administration is fixing and we must [21:57] ensure our children's cells are not poisoned by thousands of unknown chemicals which set our kids up [22:05] at scale for guaranteed life worsened and shortened by obesity diabetes and mental health challenges [22:13] not to mention high health care costs that are threatening to bankrupt our country they want us divided [22:19] on these issues they want partisan infighting but as this event demonstrates today that's not happening [22:27] on the trump administration's food agenda right now bernie sanders is working with republican lawmakers [22:33] to develop food transparency bills states around the country left and right are passing maha food [22:40] legislation and this administration is collateral collaborating with medical groups like the american [22:45] medical association the american heart association the american academy pediatrics many of whom are [22:50] suing us on other issues to advance these policies in attendance today we have left-wing groups who are in [22:57] bitter disagreement with us on other issues but are joining arms on these initiatives today [23:04] all of us agree there is a unique political and cultural moment where we can change the [23:09] incentives of our food system and improve transparency and the trump administration is working with [23:14] everyone that is interested in that objective this moment was made possible by president trump and rfk [23:23] and frankly the decades-long work of leaders across the political aisle that have been fighting on these [23:27] issues can we get a bipartisan round of applause for secretary kennedy and the diverse group of medical and [23:33] advocacy groups who are working together to combat special interests and deliver transformational food [23:38] reform on the topic of great partners i want to introduce one of the most respected and one of the [23:52] most cited nutrition researchers in the world darius muzafarian it's great to be here on the stage i have [24:11] three teenagers so to see all the kids up here on the stage and this one is alert really paying attention [24:16] it's really amazing so thank you for being here and showing how important this is i'm really um pleased to [24:23] kind of give my remarks about the announcement that there will be an ultra processed food definition [24:28] and grass reform our food is the top driver of disease disability and death in the united states [24:35] let me just say that again our food is the top driver of disease disability and death in the united [24:42] states each week our food kills 10 000 americans each week causes 1500 new cases of cancer and causes 16 000 new [24:52] cases of diabetes each year the resulting health care costs and lost productivity drain 1.5 trillion [24:59] dollars from the economy we can no longer sit idly by while our health and our treasure and that of [25:06] our children are stolen americans demand and deserve action as a cardiologist who studied food health and [25:14] policy for my entire career i'm deeply gratified by the actions the fda is announcing today i've studied [25:22] ultra processed food for years published more than 650 scientific papers and just written a book [25:28] on these topics these two policies defining ultra processed food and closing the grass loophole [25:35] rank among the fda's most consequential food and nutrition actions in 50 years the history is relevant [25:42] the widespread infiltration of these products into our food is not a standing part of our country's history or our [25:49] family traditions it was just a few decades at the close of the 20th century that led us to radically [25:55] transform our food advances in agriculture manufacturing and nutrition science brought extraordinary [26:01] confidence really hubris that we could engineer our food better than nature but the cheap ingredients [26:07] and the industrial production as well as the focus on lowering fat created problems with taste texture and [26:14] appearance industries responded with an ever expanding arsenal of sweeteners flavors colors thickeners [26:21] texturizers preservatives emulsifiers stabilizers and chemically modified proteins sugars and fats [26:28] at the same time the tobacco giants rj reynolds and philip morris aggressively acquired food companies [26:33] eventually controlling a large share of the u.s food market they brought with them a well-rehearsed playbook [26:39] to engineer products that are irresistible or even addictive about 15 years ago researchers recognize [26:46] a paradox many packaged foods were being reformulated to meet conventional targets for fat sugar salt and [26:53] vitamins yet americans and hundreds of millions more around the world were eating these products and [26:59] getting sicker a hypothesis emerged perhaps the industrial processing itself mattered since then more than 100 [27:07] studies have shown this to be true ultra processed foods are linked to obesity diabetes hypertension [27:12] heart disease depression anxiety poor gut health cancer dementia asthma and premature death the harms [27:19] operate through several pathways excess starch sugar and salt loss of natural food structure prebiotic [27:27] fibers and bioactives harmful additives and contaminants the illusion of flavor and satisfaction [27:34] that encourages over consumption importantly this is really important the concept of ultra processing [27:40] is not intended to replace everything else we know about nutrition it's not the only thing that matters [27:46] but it does represent a distinct and important new dimension of food one that the consumer doesn't know [27:51] about that has powerful effects on health critics note there's variation in the healthfulness [27:57] of ultra processed foods that's true there's variation in the healthfulness of foods that are higher or lower in [28:02] sugar higher lower in salt there's variation in lots of foods that's why any definition should include [28:07] exemptions for foods that meet clearly established criteria for being healthy but just because something [28:13] is not the only thing that matters it doesn't mean that it doesn't matter this is exactly what the [28:18] research shows even after accounting for all the other conventional nutritional factors we study [28:23] ultra processing independently influences health we recently showed this in a nationally representative study of [28:29] 50 000 adults showing that even after we adjusted for every other factor we could think of in nutrition [28:35] ultra processed foods were linked to significantly worse metabolic health more chronic disease and higher [28:40] mortality to address these harms america needs a standard national definition the fda's definition of [28:46] ultra processed food will be pragmatic sensible and grounded in science built on how these foods have [28:51] been characterized and the evidence demonstrating their health harms this definition will inform purchasing by [28:57] consumers as well as by schools hospitals work sites the military jails and other institutions it will also [29:04] create an incentive for industry to reformulate existing products and create new ones that are healthier [29:10] and it should inform the front to pack labeling goals giving americans a new piece of information when [29:16] choosing food for themselves and their children i'm also excited about the proposed rule to close the grass loophole [29:23] americans shouldn't have to wonder whether their food is safe most people assume that when a new [29:27] substance is added to their food the fda knows about it and has reviewed its safety as you've heard [29:32] shockingly this is not the reality my patients often ask me why do we have all these additives in this [29:37] country that have been banned in europe in the united kingdom in canada australia and new zealand [29:42] the answer is just the grass loophole when congress enacted the food additives amendment in 1958 [29:48] that exemption generally recognized as safe was intended for things like paprika and garlic and [29:53] vanilla and things that we were generally regarded as safe but over time that exemption has become the [29:59] loophole and the vast majority of substance have been submitted via that loophole without public [30:04] disclosure or of the information or the safety the exception has become the rule we have studied this [30:10] problem and found that we've returned to the very problem that congress tried to fix in 1958 new [30:16] substances are entering our food supply without transparency or federal oversight but the scale [30:21] is even greater than it was at that time this proposed rule finally closes that loophole scientists [30:27] and public health advocates have asked for this for decades it is truly a landmark advance notification [30:32] means transparency a public database means scrutiny stronger post-market review means that signals of harm [30:39] can trigger action i also hope the fda updates its red book safety criteria for both additives and grass [30:47] adding studies to test effects on the gut microbiome and neurodevelopment and behavior in children to [30:52] modernize this outdated testing framework to be in line with the science none of this needs to impede [30:58] innovation it will simply make innovation worthy of the public's trust make no mistake these actions [31:06] are sending shock waves through the food industry threatening some of its most profitable products expect [31:11] aggressive efforts to confuse the public and undermine the science big food will say that this will [31:17] raise food prices and cost jobs but any of these effects will be pennies on the dollar indeed fractions of [31:24] pennies on the dollar compared to the human and economic suffering currently wrought by ultra processed foods [31:30] and additives this is the moment for researchers clinicians public health leaders and policy makers [31:35] across the aisle to stand together behind the science and the implementation of these fda actions [31:40] government scientists clinicians and consumers will have the information they need while industry will have a [31:46] powerful incentive to develop safer healthier foods the fundamental principle remains simple americans [31:52] shouldn't have to wonder whether their food is safe thank you ladies and gentlemen welcome to the stage [32:02] bonnie harry everybody wow it is so exciting to be here today when i was growing up my parents were very [32:20] trusting of the american food supply if it's on the grocery store shelf it's safe if it's advertised to [32:27] children somebody made sure it was okay and if the government allows it somebody tested it right [32:35] well that's what millions of american families still believe today today should be a wake-up call for [32:42] every food company making an ultra processed food because now the government is fixing the food system that [32:50] is so disturbingly broken that our food supply has been flooded with unnecessary synthetic chemicals and [32:59] industrial additives that are destroying our health chemicals that are banned or restricted in other [33:07] countries chemicals that are engineered to be more addictive chemicals that allow the food industry to [33:15] manufacture seemingly cheaper products to maximize profits and not our health chemicals that poison [33:23] ourselves for more than 60 years we have been part of one of the most uncontrolled experiments in american [33:31] history the test subjects weren't lab rats they were us they were our children they were me i used to be [33:41] addicted to ultra processed food i was sick overweight depressed i had two surgeries by my early 20s i didn't [33:52] volunteer for this experiment and nobody asked for our consent while corporate profits grew we watched as the [34:00] people around us got sicker our friends our family our children and we kept asking why we were told to stop [34:10] asking questions just trust the experts just trust the system but the system failed us the system allowed the [34:20] food industry to police itself four little words got us into this mess generally regarded as safe safe [34:30] according to who according to the very companies making billions of it big food hired their own experts [34:39] they wrote their own safety reports they declared all by themselves what they were selling american families [34:47] was safe and then they didn't have to tell anyone about it and we have been paying the cost to protect [34:55] our families parents had to become food detectives researching ingredients that should have been proven safe [35:03] and when we demanded better we were mocked we were dismissed we were called fear mongers and for the last [35:12] 15 years i have stood beside millions of americans who have simply wanted food that wouldn't harm their [35:20] families and today is a turning point because from this day forward the rules for the food industry are [35:28] changing everyone will finally know what's hidden in ultra processed food and if your products still [35:36] contain these chemicals you're going to be targeted not just by consumers like me that are not going to buy your [35:42] products but you're going to be targeted by procurement by distributors by suppliers by regulators maybe even [35:51] lawsuits those are already happening right and definitely labeling thank goodness 50 percent of the food [36:01] industry is in the process of or already removing artificial food dyes one of the defining qualities of ultra [36:08] processed food i look forward to the candy industry and my two favorite food giants pepsi and mars to finally [36:17] make the commitment i just wonder what are you waiting for you already make these products for so many other [36:25] countries us moms are watching please don't ignore us i want to thank every parent advocate an american [36:36] citizen who refuse to stop speaking up and i especially want to thank president trump secretary [36:43] kennedy cali means stephanie spear and kyle diamantis for working tirelessly to encourage americans to eat [36:52] more real food for the first time our government is highlighting the loopholes that allow these companies [37:00] and and chemicals these companies to put chemicals in our food supply this is a major step forward but [37:09] don't let this be all there is we have so much work to do to get this done we have to keep pushing for [37:18] more we have to keep pushing until every family can walk into the grocery store and buy real food without [37:25] worrying about the chemicals inside them every american should know what ultra processed food really is [37:33] let's reverse the mass experiment that has been carried out on our bodies for decades because when [37:39] we know what's in our food we start demanding better and when we demand better companies have two choices [37:47] either change or lose our business moms i will keep fighting for you and i will keep fighting for [37:54] you no matter who is in office thank you so much secretary kennedy and his entire team for making this [38:00] possible here today ladies and gentlemen please welcome to the stage hhs chief counselor and nominee [38:11] for deputy secretary chris clump it's my pleasure to close this out patience we're almost there little [38:23] ones we've got this so last year my wife and four children were sitting in an airport waiting for a [38:30] flight and across for them was a gentleman in his mid-60s he was a bricklayer and at some point he [38:36] struck up conversation with her and uh he was sitting there notably with a bag of potato chips and soda in [38:43] his hand and having no idea who she was or what her husband does and and said hey have you heard about [38:49] this maha thing people are talking about and before she could answer he followed and said i think there's [38:56] something to it i just don't know what i'm supposed to do i wish somebody the government anyone would [39:03] just tell me what i should be eating so i can feel better she told me about this conversation and i've [39:09] thought about it many times since that moment and there are good reasons for that there are millions of [39:15] americans like this gentleman they want to be healthier they want to feel better they're looking for a [39:21] system that gives them honest information clear guidance and a fair shot at making healthy choices [39:28] and yet for too long we have a system that is focused and been exceptionally good at treating [39:34] disease after it develops and far less focused on understanding why people became sick in the first [39:40] place too often we've regarded and rewarded treatment over prevention management more than health [39:48] and complexity more than transparency but that's beginning to change and it's driven by the [39:53] historic alignment of interests under president trump and secretary kennedy's leadership of these [39:58] efforts at hhs we're building what we think about as a 10-year bridge from a system that reacts [40:07] to chronic disease to one that increasingly understands root causes that prevents disease before [40:12] it develops and delivers care tailored to the individual and the announcements today are part of [40:18] that and i'm going to summarize three pillars quickly the first is transparency in and healthier food [40:24] americans deserve to know what's in the food that they feed their families they deliver deserve rules [40:29] that make healthy choices easier to understand not harder and our work on grass and on ultra processed [40:35] food is part of the effort so our initiatives around regenerative agriculture better hospital food [40:42] medical nutrition things that you see on the signs around this room and we'll keep taking a simple [40:46] message around the country eat real food get active some people say that's overly simplistic we could not [40:54] disagree more strongly we have to do this that brick layer in the airport wasn't looking for a 200 page [41:02] report he wanted to know what he could do tomorrow to feel better to feel healthier the second part is [41:07] science the third part is personalized and preventive health care that means better incentives for outcomes [41:14] and prevention more transparency better information following the patient more control for americans over [41:19] their health care decisions ultimately our success will not be measured by how many regulations we write [41:25] or how many programs we launch it will be measured by outcomes and those outcomes will be [41:29] answered by simple questions are fewer americans developing chronic disease are americans living healthier [41:36] longer lives our patients receiving care that is increasingly tailored to them [41:41] our health care costs becoming more manageable for american families those are the measures that matter [41:48] and that's the direction we're taking american health care on this 10-year bridge [41:53] more transparency more prevention and so that's where we're moving we're so grateful for you being [42:02] here today we're so grateful for your support thank you for your support thank you for being here we'd [42:10] like to ask you to stay seated for a moment we're going to take a picture with the group we'd invite [42:14] all the speakers to come up just a moment thank you [42:24] you