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No Candy for You: Republican State Lawmakers Embrace RFK Jr.’s Health Policies
Republican state legislators across the country are filing a flurry of bills to advance the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda promoted by activist lawyer and former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who’s in line to be the next U.S. health secretary.
Under the MAHA banner, state lawmakers are working to regulate candy and soda purchases under social welfare programs, remove fluoride from public water systems, roll back state vaccination requirements, and remove ultra-processed food from schools.
They’ve enlisted celebrities to help. They’re using #RFK and #MAHA hashtags on social media to share legislative wins. Lawmakers even walked the red carpet at a January gala celebrated as the official start of the MAHA movement in the Trump era.
“It’s pretty exciting for me,” said Wyoming Republican state Rep. Jacob Wasserburger, who has sponsored a MAHA bill in his state.
What MAHA’s Crusade Against Seed Oils Reveals About Flaws in America’s Food System
When guests at the Make America Healthy Again inaugural ball sat down for dinner last month at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C., they were greeted with menus featuring butternut squash salad, a choice between a prime filet and lobster dish and a vegetarian chickpea option, and three words sure to appeal to many involved with the movement: “No seed oils.”
Seed oils is a recently coined term that refers to the fats squeezed from the seeds of vegetables like corn and soybeans, then refined with heat and chemical solvents. It’s thanks in part to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the MAHA movement that concerns over their health effects are popping up on social media, on Joe Rogan’s podcast, and in Bay Area restaurants where customers request that the kitchen prepare their meals with the beef tallow they’ve brought in their backpacks.
In January alone, the salad chain Sweetgreen launched a “seed oil-free” menu, and the fast-food chain Steak ‘n Shake announced it would switch to immersing french fries in beef tallow, promising users on X, “If veg oil broke your heart, our tallow will make you fall in love again.”
Eating From Plastic Takeout Containers Can Increase Heart Failure Risk — Study
Eating from plastic takeout containers may significantly increase the chance of congestive heart failure, a new study finds, and researchers suspect they have identified why: changes to gut biome cause inflammation that damages the circulatory system.
The novel two part, peer-reviewed study from Chinese researchers adds to mounting evidence of the risks associated with eating from plastic, and builds on previous evidence linking plastic chemicals to heart disease. The authors used a two-part approach, first looking into the frequency with which over 3,000 people in China ate from plastic takeout containers, and whether they had heart disease.
They then exposed rats to plastic chemicals in water that was boiled and poured in carryout containers to extract chemicals. “The data revealed that high-frequency exposure to plastics is significantly associated with an increased risk of congestive heart failure,” the authors wrote.
Coca-Cola Says Trump Tariffs Could Force It to Increase Use of Plastic in US
Coca-Cola has said it may have to increase its use of plastic in the U.S. if Donald Trump’s tariffs raise the cost of aluminium cans. The drinks company’s warning follows Trump’s introduction of 25% tariffs on foreign steel and aluminium entering the U.S., which could push up the prices of canned food and drink.
Coca-Cola’s chief executive, James Quincey, said it imports aluminium for its drinks cans from Canada, meaning it is looking for ways to mitigate any price rises resulting from the tariffs and could be forced to switch to plastic bottles. “As it relates to our strategies around ensuring affordability and ensuring consumer demand, if one package suffers some increase in input costs, we continue to have other packaging offerings that will allow us to compete in the affordability space,” Quincey told investors.
“For example, if aluminium cans become more expensive, we can put more emphasis on PET [plastic] bottles, etc.” The Coca-Cola boss, however, also sought to play down the potential impact of tariffs on the business, saying that packaging accounted for only a small part of total costs.
Canned Tuna Recalled in Dozens of States Over Risk of Food Poisoning
A major recall of canned tuna sold in dozens of states has been issued amid concerns that a packaging defect could cause “a potentially fatal form of food poisoning,” the manufacturer said in a statement.
California-based Tri-Union Seafoods announced a voluntary recall for certain tuna products sold under the Genova®, Van Camp’s®, H-E-B and Trader Joe’s brand names, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The affected cans may have a faulty pull-tab lid, which could allow them to become contaminated with the Clostridium botulinum bacterium, which causes botulism.
While Tri-Union Seafoods has said no illnesses linked to the recalled products had been reported, the company warned consumers not to use the product, “even if it does not look or smell spoiled.”
