Marion Nestle on RFK Jr.'s Health Revolution: What Americans Consume Is Changing

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s sweeping nutrition agenda is fundamentally reshaping what Americans consume—and the food industry is racing to keep pace. As Secretary of Health and Human Services and leader of the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) initiative, Kennedy has accelerated policy changes that many view as the most significant dietary upheaval in decades. According to nutrition policy expert Marion Nestle, who spoke with Fortune about these shifts, “The central premise is that prioritizing whole foods and avoiding ultra-processed products leads to better health outcomes.” President Donald Trump, who appointed Kennedy to the role, framed the movement as a direct confrontation with “the industrial food complex and pharmaceutical companies that have misled Americans about health.”

The transformation is gaining real traction. Nearly 40% of American parents now support this nutrition-focused movement, signaling a potential cultural shift in how families approach food choices. Over the past year, Kennedy and the Trump administration have rolled out comprehensive reforms affecting everything from dietary guidelines to food manufacturing standards. Here’s how five major policy changes are already transforming supermarket shelves and consumer consumption patterns.

Dairy’s Resurgence: Full-Fat Is Back on the Menu

The Department of Agriculture’s updated dietary guidelines, introduced in early 2026, fundamentally inverted decades of conventional nutrition advice. The new framework now emphasizes full-fat dairy and a broader range of fats—including both saturated and unsaturated varieties—as essential nutritional components. Americans are now encouraged to consume three daily servings of full-fat dairy, with Kennedy explicitly declaring an end to what he calls the “war on saturated fats.”

Whole grains, by contrast, have been relegated to a less prominent position in the updated pyramid. Kennedy stated bluntly, “The previous guidelines had it backwards,” signaling a complete reversal of prior recommendations. The market is already reflecting these changes. During 2024, Americans consumed an average of 650 pounds of dairy products per person, with butter experiencing record-breaking popularity. Plant-based alternatives have suffered: Oatly and similar oat milk brands have seen measurable sales declines in the U.S. market, while yogurt and cottage cheese categories continue to surge.

The Seed Oil Debate: Animal Fats Enter Mainstream Discussion

What was once a fringe concern has now become central to federal nutrition messaging. Under Kennedy’s leadership, questions about canola and corn oils have moved from alternative health circles into mainstream policy discourse. Federal guidance now actively promotes “healthy fats,” explicitly encouraging consumers to consider animal fats like beef tallow as viable cooking alternatives.

Yet Marion Nestle and other nutrition experts urge caution. “Whether the premise that eating whole, unprocessed foods leads to feeling full sooner actually reduces unhealthy eating remains to be seen,” Nestle told Fortune. She noted particular concern about high consumption of animal fats, which can elevate cholesterol levels and potentially increase heart disease risk. Despite these warnings, major food manufacturers are responding. PepsiCo has committed to eliminating canola and soybean oils from popular snacks including Lay’s and Tostitos, while scores of smaller brands are now launching “seed oil-free” product lines to capture consumer interest.

The Synthetic Dye Phase-Out: Natural Colors Take Over

Kennedy unveiled his plan to phase out synthetic food dyes in spring 2025, characterizing them as hazardous, petroleum-derived chemicals that endanger children’s health. Since then, regulatory bodies have accelerated the removal of the most prevalent artificial dyes, replacing them with natural alternatives such as galdieria extract blue—a pigment derived from algae.

Major manufacturers have already responded. PepsiCo and Tyson Foods have stripped synthetic dyes from their product lines, resulting in noticeably less vibrant versions of snacks like Doritos and Cheetos. Other prominent brands—Hershey, Utz, and Campbell’s among them—have announced timelines to follow suit. Mars Wrigley has gone further, launching dye-free formulations of popular items including Skittles, M&Ms, and Extra Gum. Consumers browsing grocery stores will increasingly encounter less brightly colored products, more packaging highlighting the absence of artificial additives, and expanded selections of naturally colored snacks and beverages.

Protein Becomes Priority: The Market Responds

Protein has emerged as the defining marketing focus across the food industry, from Starbucks’ protein-fortified beverages to Sweetgreen’s protein-centered salad offerings. This surge aligns directly with Kennedy’s repositioning of protein as the centerpiece of revised nutrition guidelines, which now recommend consuming 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily—a substantial increase for most Americans.

However, Marion Nestle offers a reality check: “Most Americans already consume more than sufficient protein, so these recommendations don’t require behavioral change for the majority of people.” This observation hasn’t dampened market enthusiasm. High-protein products now dominate retail shelves—from protein cereals to premium offerings like Protein Pints ice cream, which exceeded $10 million in sales during 2025. The protein trend shows no signs of slowing.

The High-Fructose Corn Syrup Reckoning

Kennedy has made HFCS a symbol of everything wrong with America’s processed food ecosystem. He has forcefully condemned high-fructose corn syrup as emblematic of systemic dietary dysfunction. In response, corporations like Tyson Foods and Kraft Heinz have pledged to eliminate HFCS from their product portfolios entirely.

Despite all these policy shifts and the cultural momentum toward natural ingredients and protein-focused nutrition, Marion Nestle identifies a persistent challenge: economic realities. “People don’t actually follow dietary guidelines,” she remarked to Fortune. “As long as ultra-processed foods remain more affordable than whole foods, that’s what most Americans will continue to consume.” Her observation points to a fundamental tension: between the aspirational goals of nutrition policy and the practical constraints facing consumers navigating real grocery store prices every day.

The revolution in how Americans consume—driven by Kennedy’s aggressive policy agenda—is undeniably transforming retail landscapes and manufacturing practices. Whether it produces lasting changes in actual dietary behavior remains the real question.