Why is Trump health advisor RFK Jr. targeting Froot Loops cereal? - nj.com

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)AP

What does Robert F. Kennedy Jr. want to target in his likely health advisor role in a second Trump administration? He suggested that food products like Froot Loops could be at the top of the list.

Now that former President Donald Trump has been declared the winner of the race for the White House, questions are swirling over how Kennedy will influence the nation’s public health. In an interview with MSNBC’s Vaughn Hillyard on Wednesday, Kennedy suggested that one of his top priorities could be targeting products, like Froot Loops, that have long lists of ingredients.

When asked if he wants to clear out the top levels of federal health agencies, Kennedy said that in “some categories,” he would.

“Some categories of work, their entire departments, like the nutrition departments at FDA, are not doing their job. They’re not protecting our kids. Why do we have Froot Loops this country that have 18 or 19 ingredients, and you go to Canada and it’s got two or three?” Kennedy said on MSNBC.

“To eliminate the agencies, as long as it requires congressional approval, I wouldn’t be doing that. I can get the corruption out of the agencies. That’s what I’ve been doing for 40 years. I’ve sued all those agencies. I have a Ph.D in corporate corruption, and that’s what I do, and once they’re not corrupt, once Americans are getting good science and are allowed to make their own choices, they’re going to get a lot healthier,” he added when asked if he wanted to eliminate any of the agencies.

"I'm not going to take away anybody's vaccines."RFK, Jr. speaks exclusively to NBC News' @VaughnHillyard about vaccines and shares his thoughts about federal health agencies. pic.twitter.com/XSbGCcjvS5

Some breakfast cereals and other processed foods have faced backlash in the United States over having artificial colorings and foods in its ingredients. Last month, dozens of activists protested outside the Michigan headquarters of WK Kellogg Co. to demand that the company remove the artificial dyes from its breakfast cereals in the U.S.

Kennedy, known for his anti-vaccine stances, has vowed to reshape health policy in the U.S. In recent days, Trump has said that he will task Kennedy with “making America healthy again.”

This apparently includes removing fluoride from the U.S. water supply, according to Kennedy. Trump said it‘s “possible” that banning fluoride in the U.S. could happen under Kennedy.

“I would advise the water districts that are currently using it that there’s a lot of new science out there. And in fact, there’s a federal judge decision by an Obama-appointed judge on Oct. 4 of this year, in which he’s sent the EPA back at the drawing board, and said, you’ve never done the safety studies on it, by the way,” he told MSNBC on Wednesday.

“I think fluoride is on the way out because of that court decision,” he added. “I think the faster that it goes out, the better. I’m not going to compel anybody to take it out, but I’m going to advise the water district about their legal liability, their legal obligation to their constituents. And I’m going to give them good information about the science and I think, or I will disappear.”

Kennedy was referring to a recent court decision that ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. The decision followed a recent study that found a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids.

Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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