MAHA's fight against food dyes, corn syrup and seed oils
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 30 September 2025
⏱️ 35 minutes
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Summary
During confirmation hearings to become secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. warned that “highly chemical-intensive processed foods” are “poisoning the American people.”
A striking report from the federal government has since found that Americans on average get about half their calories from ultra-processed foods, which have been linked in studies to increased rates of obesity and chronic disease.
A central part of the Make America Healthy Again movement’s food agenda is going after some common ingredients in packaged foods: seed oils, corn syrup and food dyes. But what kind of dent will these efforts make in America’s health?
Today, host Elahe Izadi brings in nutrition columnist Anahad O’Connor and national health reporter Rachel Roubein to discuss MAHA’s popular food policies, what the science says about the threat of these ingredients and some simple steps we can all take to improve our diets.
Read More:
- Coke confirms cane sugar change. RFK Jr. calls it a MAHA win. Is it?
- What science says about artificial food dyes amid RFK Jr.’s push to ban them
- Which oil do you cook with? The answer can impact your health.
- Why additives are so common in America’s food
- Which breakfast is highest in sugar? Test your knowledge with our quiz.
- We analyzed dozens of ultra-processed foods. Here are the healthiest options.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was edited by Peter Bresnan and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks also to Emily Codik and Fenit Nirappil.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | At Constellation, we bring the energy powering America's growing economy every minute, every day. |
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| 0:19.8 | We meet the nation's energy needs by generating emissions-free electricity today and for our future. |
| 0:28.9 | So, Anahad, Rachel, hi. |
| 0:32.3 | Hi. |
| 0:32.6 | Hi. |
| 0:33.6 | I know it's the afternoon. |
| 0:35.1 | It's not breakfast, but I actually wanted to bring some breakfast items here and read some of the ingredients to you. |
| 0:41.8 | I have this box of cereal here. And some of the ingredients here are sugar, wheat flour, whole grain oat flour, modified food starch, contains 2% of or less vegetable oil. |
| 0:54.4 | Oh boy. |
| 0:55.2 | Okay, now we're starting to get into some oat fiber. |
| 0:57.8 | I can't say malterdrexin salt, soluble corn fiber. |
| 1:02.3 | And yummy, yummy, yummy, yummy, natural flavor, red 40. |
| 1:06.8 | Love that yellow 5, blue one, yellow 6, and B.H.T. for freshness. |
| 1:13.1 | Yes. |
| 1:13.8 | Yummy. All things I keep in my cabinet here at home, my pantry. |
| 1:19.0 | Oh, yeah, me too. |
| 1:20.6 | This is Anahad O'Connor, a health columnist, and Rachel Rubine, a reporter covering the food and drug administration. |
| 1:27.7 | And I brought them in to discuss this little old box of cereal |
| 1:31.4 | because actually foods like this and the ingredients in them |
| 1:35.8 | are the target of a growing movement around the country. |
... |
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