Former Louisiana Governor and principal health adviser Bobby Jindal said Sunday on Newsmax that he agrees with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding the link between the surge in chronic diseases and the extreme consumption of ultraprocessed foods in the United States.
Speaking on "Sunday Agenda," Jindal pointed to a troubling rise in chronic illnesses. "We are facing an epidemic," he said. "Rates of autism, obesity, and cardiovascular disease are climbing. Chronic diseases now account for 90% of healthcare spending and eight of the ten leading causes of death, claiming two million American lives annually."
While the left "overreacted" to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jindal argued, they are "underreacting" to the far greater threat posed by chronic diseases. He praised Kennedy for focusing attention on food additives, particularly artificial dyes derived from petroleum, warning of the health risks these substances pose to American consumers.
Parents, he said, deserve full transparency about what their children are consuming. "There’s a giant loophole in FDA regulations," Jindal explained. "Food companies are supposed to notify the FDA when they add new ingredients, but in reality, they often don’t. Since 1997, more than 1,000 additives have been introduced without proper FDA analysis."
Jindal further criticized the integrity of food safety science, pointing out that many researchers reviewing additives are financially tied to the companies producing them. "Companies hire them as consultants or use their own employees — a clear conflict of interest," he said.
The former governor contrasted U.S. practices with those abroad, noting that while the United States allows over 6,000 food additives, Europe permits just over 400. "Why the disparity?" Jindal asked. "Because they take testing seriously. Even in Canada, products like Froot Loops use plant-based dyes instead of artificial ones."
Jindal argued that American companies are capable of producing safer products but choose not to for the U.S. market. He called for urgent reforms: an FDA audit of the thousands of additives already in use, congressional action to require mandatory reporting of new additives, and a strict ban on conflicts of interest among safety researchers.
Despite America's enormous healthcare spending, Jindal lamented, health outcomes continue to lag behind those of other nations. "RFK is right," he said. "We've all seen the rise of anxiety, obesity, and cardiovascular disease around us. America boasts some of the best doctors and healthcare providers, yet our results are no better than in many other countries."
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