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The Trump administration may move to impose new regulations on food companies that don't follow through on promises to remove artificial colorants from their products, White House adviser Calley Means said at a health industry conference on Tuesday. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has so far focused on getting voluntary commitments from companies like Kraft Heinz and Walmart on varying timelines. (Goldman, 10/21)

A Guardian investigation finds the US soda and snack-food industries, threatened by RFK Jr’s movement to change Americans’ eating habits, have turned to a group of well-connected strategists, shadowy pollsters and ‘anti-woke’ influencers. (Voorhees, 10/19)

In the last year, several major restaurants and health food brands have pivoted away from using seed oils and are instead turning to butter and beef tallow as "natural" alternatives. This shift is largely in response to many in the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, led by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., claiming that seed oils contribute to inflammation and chronic disease. MedPage Today had experts weigh in on whether this war on popular cooking oils has any seed of truth. (Robertson, 10/21)

In the seven months since Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Food and Drug Administration would review infant formula ingredients and nutrition for the first time in nearly 30 years, hundreds have submitted public comments demanding more rigorous testing for heavy metals and contaminants and urging that any assessment be based on science. The initiative, dubbed “Operation Stork Speed,” has unleashed comments from parents who have expressed concerns about the sugar content in formula and complained about the seed oils used to deliver essential fatty acids to infants. (Malhi, 10/20)

A hearing is tentatively scheduled for the surgeon general nominee —

A Senate confirmation hearing is being planned next week for Casey Means, President Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general who has faced criticism over her experience and views, according to people familiar with the matter. The hearing is tentatively scheduled for Thursday but isn’t yet finalized and could change, the people said. Means plans to appear virtually due to her pregnancy, the people said. (Muller and Cohrs Zhang, 10/21)

On vaccines and mistrust of science —

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Despite The Hoopla, Vaccines Should Be In Reach This Cough-And-Cold Season
For people whose autumn agenda includes getting vaccinated against respiratory diseases — covid, flu, and, for some, RSV — this year may be surprisingly routine. Following several confusing months this summer when federal officials announced and then retreated from changes to covid vaccine recommendations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Oct. 6 announced updated fall immunization schedules that are not that different from last year’s. That should clear the way for most people who want shots this fall to get them, public health experts say. (Andrews, 10/22)

Two advisers to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sat on a stage in California this spring, addressing an audience at a natural products industry trade show that drew tens of thousands of people from food brands, investment banks, supplement sellers and other companies. Their message: The goals of the Make America Healthy Again movement will help your bottom lines. (Smith and Ungar, 10/21)

More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections – vaccines, milk safety and fluoride – have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year, part of an organized, politically savvy campaign to enshrine a conspiracy theory-driven agenda into law. An Associated Press investigation found that the wave of legislation has cropped up in most states, pushed by people with close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The effort would strip away protections that have been built over a century and are integral to American lives and society. Around 30 bills have been enacted or adopted in 12 states. (Smith and Ungar, 10/21)