JESSICA DIECKMAN, A LETTER TO THE PAPER---RFK JR, ARTIFICIAL COLORS, ETC.

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THE FOLLOWING IS PRINTED IN THIS WEEK'S GAZETTE:

To the Editor,

I would like to salute Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts to improve the country’s food quality through his various recent initiatives, advocating for the removal of unnatural and highly-processed ingredients, as well as artificial colors and chemicals, from our foods. Goals for food improvement have been around for decades, but are now being emphasized in the national consciousness to such an extent that they may yield firm results.

A lot of the food consumed in the US isn’t actually nourishing our bodies properly and can even be harmful. Though food is not the only factor in the measure of overall health, our national diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol and cancer statistics show some of the consequences of processed foods infiltrated by additives.

It has long been suggested by some that the government shouldn’t be involved in food, and that consumers can make their own smart choices, but the long-standing reality is that for those in poverty who are struggling to survive, better quality foods are out-of-reach luxuries, jettisoned in favor of much cheaper and, by default, far less-healthy options. Food change can have a big impact: The results measured from the Obama administration’s 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act prove that upgrading the quality of even one meal out of the day (a school lunch in the case of HHFK Act) has strong, positive effects on overall health.

RFK Jr. is regularly criticized for much, from pushing raw milk (though he has not yet acted on any US raw-milk regulations) to vaccine concepts that run askew from scientifically measured results. But when it comes to the quality of food available, especially for the huge number of Americans facing poverty conditions, any efforts towards improvement are to be commended.

In response to RFK Jr.’s advocacy, as well as to consumer demand, giant companies such as Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Nestle, Tyson and J.M. Smucker have publicly declared plans to phase out and eliminate synthetic (petroleum-based) dyes (such as Red 3, Red 40, Green 3, Blue 1, Blue 2, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6) from their foods and drinks. The In-N-Out Burger chain has declared it is removing artificial food dyes from all their items, and 40 different ice-cream makers will soon remove all artificial colors from their ice-creams. This could be a renaissance moment for American food.

An old adage states, ‘you are what you eat.’ Accordingly, let’s hope that RFK Jr.’s prodding of American food companies and producers, and consumers’ desires for better products, will go even further in stripping out unhealthy ingredients. I’m happy to say goodbye to artificial colors, high fructose corn syrup, partially-hydrogenated oil, cottonseed oils and other cumulatively harmful ingredients.

Thank you,
Jessica Dieckman