NEW YORK - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has transformed the way Americans talk and think about food policy and nutrition since joining President Donald Trump's Cabinet.And that's a good thing in a country where 129 million people face at least one major chronic illness and heightened risk of premature death, much of it from bad eating habits, said a senior policy adviser in the Obama White House and a private chef for the former first family.
"Democrats dropped the ball on this," Sam Kass told USA TODAY in an exclusive sit-down interview where he acknowledged that for all the work the Obamas did on the issue during their two-term administration, Kennedy has nonetheless "very effectively" made the connection for the general public with his MAHA movement.
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"These are issues that everybody's grappling with," added Kass, a 45-year-old New Yorker. "These are issues that relate to how we raise our kids. They are actually, by definition, kitchen table issues.”
Kass would know. He was the former executive director of former first lady Michelle Obama’s signature health and nutrition initiative “Let’s Move" when her husband was in the White House more than a decade ago.
