Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at the bill signing ceremony for Senate Bill 14, the Make America Healthy Again bill. Credit: Louisiana Governor's Office via YouTube
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was on hand as Governor Landry signed Louisiana’s Make America Healthy Again bill into law Friday morning.
“Louisiana is the 49th state in terms of poor health, and Governor Landry wants to change that, and I’m confident that this bill is going to do just that,” said Secretary Kennedy to an adoring audience at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge that included several kids behind the speaker’s podium. “It is going to change Louisiana. Four years from now, Louisiana is not going to be 49th anymore.”
Senate Bill 14 was written by Sen. Patrick McMath (R-Covington).
Among other things, it bans artificial colors and additives in meals served in schools.
During the bill signing ceremony, Kennedy noted that in the last six decades, juvenile diabetes has skyrocketed, due in large part to the foods that kids eat.
“When I was a kid, the average pediatrician would see one case of diabetes during a 40 or 50-year career,” said Kennedy. “Today, 38% of teens are pre-diabetic or diabetic.”
And Kennedy noted that the costs to treat chronic diseases attributed to improper nutrition has skyrocketed during those years.
“The cost of chronic disease when my uncle (John F. Kennedy) was present was zero,” Kennedy said. “Today, we spend $1.7 trillion.”
During the session, Landry also signed an executive order banning SNAP recipients from using their benefits to buy junk food like soda and candy.
Kennedy said it’s a bold move by the governor.
“That is going to have a dramatic impact on public health amongst the poorest populations in this state.”
Kennedy noted that it is not the ultimate goal of the Make America Healthy Again movement to ban junk food outright.
“If you want to drink a soda, you ought to be able to do that,” said Kennedy. “Americans should have a choice about whether to poison themselves or not. We’re not trying to take that away. But taxpayers should not be paying for you to do that.”
The Calorie Control Council issued a statement in response to the signing of Senate Bill 14.
“Louisiana’s commitment to improving school nutrition is commendable; however, banning the availability of certain FDA-approved low- and no-calorie sweeteners in school meals negates decades of scientific evidence confirming their safety and could result in harm to students with diabetes and may risk violating federal disability protections under the ADA,” said Carla Saunders, president of the Calorie Control Council. “Removing the freedom of choice for a no-sugar option could impact kids’ ability to manage their blood glucose. With pediatric type 2 diabetes on the rise in Louisiana, which doubled during the pandemic—this bill undermines efforts to address a chronic disease in a state already facing one of the nation’s highest diabetes rates.”
Not everyone in Baton Rouge was willing to roll out the welcome mat for Kennedy.
Several dozen protestors gathered outside the Pennington Biomedical Research Center to let him know how they felt about his policies.
Many held signs, with one reading, “Vaccines make America healthy again.”
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