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Bad Diets, Too Many Meds, No Exercise: A Look Inside the Latest ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Report
A report that U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has promised will improve the health of America’s children does not call on the government to make significant changes to its food or farming policies, according to a draft document obtained by The Associated Press.
The “Make America Healthy Again” strategy report is supposed to be one of Kennedy’s signature achievements as the nation’s health secretary, giving the government a roadmap to help its citizens lose weight, reduce chronic diseases and exercise more. Before coming to Washington, Kennedy had spent much of his career decrying the harms of chemicals sprayed on crops, prescription drugs, ultraprocessed foods and vaccines.
His coalition, then, has expected him to take bold action as the nation’s top health leader. But a draft of the so-called “MAHA” report, first reported by The New York Times Thursday night, mostly calls on the government to further study chronic diseases, bad air quality, Americans’ diets and prescription drug use.
Jeff Bezos-Backed Lab-Grown Salmon Hits U.S. Restaurants in 2025
Big news in the food world: Lab-grown salmon is no longer a futuristic idea — it’s here, FDA-approved, and being served at some of America’s hottest restaurants. That’s right, the first-ever cultivated seafood is officially on plates across the country, making waves for both foodies and sustainability advocates alike.
The lab-grown salmon is produced by Wildtype, a San Francisco-based company supported by high-profile investors including Jeff Bezos’s investment firm Bezos Expeditions, actor Leonardo DiCaprio, and Robert Downey Jr. Unlike plant-based substitutes, Wildtype’s product is real salmon meat cultivated directly from salmon cells.
The process begins with cells extracted from living Pacific salmon.
These cells are grown in large steel tanks similar to those used in brewing beer or kombucha. Fed a nutrient-rich mix of proteins, sugars, fats, salts, and essential minerals such as iron and zinc, the cells multiply under conditions that closely replicate a salmon’s natural environment. After harvesting, the salmon cells are blended with plant-based ingredients to form a sushi-grade “saku” cut that is biologically indistinguishable from traditionally sourced salmon.
The FDA Is Warning You Not to Use This Cookware — It Could Be Poisoning Your Food With Lead
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers and retailers not to sell or use certain imported cookware that may leach significant levels of lead. The FDA issued an alert on Wednesday after tests showed some types of imported cookware made from aluminum, brass, and aluminum alloys (known as Hindalium/Hindolium or Indalium/Indolium) leached lead into food when used for cooking, making food unsafe. Here’s what to know.
Lead is toxic to humans and can affect people of any age or health status. Consuming food with elevated lead levels can contribute to elevated levels of lead in the blood. Young children, women of child-bearing age, and those who are breastfeeding may be at higher risk for potential adverse events after eating food cooked using these products.
There is no safe level of exposure to lead — even low levels can cause serious health problems, particularly in children and fetuses, according to the FDA. Babies and kids are more susceptible to lead toxicity due to their smaller body size, metabolism, and rapid growth.
Kellogg Says It Will Remove Artificial Dyes From Cereals by the End of 2027
WK Kellogg Co. has announced that they will stop using artificial dyes in its breakfast cereals by the end of 2027, according to a statement from the company. The maker of Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, Frosted Flakes and Rice Krispies, just to name a few, said that they are evolving their portfolio of cereals “to provide consumers with more of what they want and need — such as whole grains and fiber and less of what they don’t.”
“Today, the vast majority — 85 percent — of our cereal sales contain no FD&C colors and none of our products have contained Red No. 3 for years,” Kellogg said in their statement making the announcement. “We are committed to continue working with HHS and FDA to identify effective solutions to remove FD&C colors from foods.”
Kellogg pledged that they will be reformulating their cereals served in schools to not include FD&C colors by the 2026-27 school year, that they will not be launching any new products with FD&C colors beginning in January 2026 and that they plan on removing all FD&C colors from their products by the end of 2027, according to their announcement.
Erythritol and Xylitol Raise Blood Clot and Stroke Risk
You’ve likely heard that sugar substitutes like erythritol are “healthy” sweetening alternatives, but research clearly shows otherwise. Emerging evidence shows that these ingredients compromise your cerebral vascular system, increasing your vulnerability to blood clots, stroke, and neurological damage. Unfortunately, erythritol isn’t the only sugar alcohol implicated in serious health risks.
Another similar sugar substitute, xylitol, has also been linked to increased cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes. In a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers investigated what happens to your cardiovascular health when exposed to erythritol. Specifically, they used human brain microvascular endothelial cells, which line and protect your smallest brain blood vessels, to see if erythritol affected their ability to maintain a healthy blood-brain barrier.
To perform the tests, the team exposed cultured endothelial cells to various concentrations of erythritol to mimic conditions similar to consuming erythritol-containing products. They found clear and consistent evidence of damage to these critical cells, even at low concentrations that match typical human consumption.
Mars Quietly Said Naturally Dyed M&M’s and Skittles Are Coming
Two days after Mars Inc. met with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, the privately held food company posted a statement saying it would offer naturally colored options next year for four of its most iconic candies, including M&M’s and Skittles.
The July 24 announcement on the Mars Wrigley website went largely unnoticed at a time when candymakers have been viewed as the biggest holdout in the Trump administration’s efforts to get companies to voluntarily strip synthetic dyes from their food.
The move by Mars marks a step toward appeasing the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has made artificial dyes a top target. Consumers have pressed for more natural options, and some states have passed new restrictions, including West Virginia, which will prohibit the sale of food with synthetic dyes starting in 2028. Mars, however, stopped short of removing artificial dyes from all of its brands, saying it continues to work on that effort.
