Episode 296: The Politics of What We Eat

Nutrition policy is back in the spotlight. Under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, the federal government has been especially vocal about and involved in what Americans eat, including policies that change what can be bought with federal benefits. Nutrition policy researcher Pasquale Rummo breaks down what the debate about ultra-processed foods is all about, how Americans' diets are shaped by both choice and policy, and what coming changes could mean for consumers and the food industry.

For more on this topic:

• Read Rummo's op-ed in The Hill, co-written with Jesse Strunk-Elkins: SNAP Benefit Cuts Will Leave Millions of Americans Overworked and Underfed