Under Secretary Kennedy, HHS is determined to make large and lasting change. Using the new U.S. dietary guidelines to influence federal policy, USDA updated retailer stocking standards in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The final rule was published May 7, 2026, and requires retailers (other than specialty stores) to stock at least seven varieties in each staple food category – dairy, grains, protein, and vegetables or fruits – on a continuous basis to participate in the SNAP system.
The new rule also requires retailers offer at least one perishable variety in at least three of the four staple categories. Kennedy triumphantly reported to the OTA audiencethat over 100,000 grocery stores have implemented the new requirements.
Similar shifts have been implemented school lunch programs, prisons, and hospitals. Kennedy was particularly enthusiastic about changes being witnessed in U.S. military diets.
He praised military procurement specialist Robert Irvine for helping transform military meals into healthier MAHA options at a lower cost than the processed foods they replaced.
The secretary said that on bases where they implemented these improvements, soldiers who had routinely left base to eat at McDonald’s now prefer the new “bistros” Irvine helped create.
Under Kennedy, HHS and its sub-agencies are committed to ensuring America’s defenders are as healthy as possible– reflecting the core MAHA philosophy that wholesome foods will enhance health and immune function.
As Chef Irvine has observed, “Give someone a brand-new Mercedes and fill it with olive oil. It won’t go very far.”
Secretary Kennedy addressed hospital food with equal passion. “If you go to someone’s house and tell them the meal they serve you tastes like hospital food, it’s not meant to be a compliment,” he said. “We are changing hospital diets dramatically, learning from cooks like Geoffrey Zakarian.”
RFK Jr. summarized all of these transformative policy shifts as MAHA-inspired “changes to our dietary culture and addictions to processed foods” that are “training children’s palates to desire healthy food.”
He dismissed partisan conflicts in this continuing MAHA mission, calling upon Americans to come together because “There’s no such thing as Republican or Democrat children.”
OTA’s Chapman wrapped up the presentation by thanking the secretary for his contribution not only to OTA’s Annual conference but also to the American organic food system by attending.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tells
Organic Trade Association audience:
“Every item of food at my home
has an organic label on it.”
Under Secretary Kennedy, HHS is determined to make large and lasting change. Using the new U.S. dietary guidelines to influence federal policy, USDA updated retailer stocking standards in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The final rule was published May 7, 2026, and requires retailers (other than specialty stores) to stock at least seven varieties in each staple food category – dairy, grains, protein, and vegetables or fruits – on a continuous basis to participate in the SNAP system.
The new rule also requires retailers offer at least one perishable variety in at least three of the four staple categories. Kennedy triumphantly reported to the OTA audiencethat over 100,000 grocery stores have implemented the new requirements.
Similar shifts have been implemented school lunch programs, prisons, and hospitals. Kennedy was particularly enthusiastic about changes being witnessed in U.S. military diets.
He praised military procurement specialist Robert Irvine for helping transform military meals into healthier MAHA options at a lower cost than the processed foods they replaced.
The secretary said that on bases where they implemented these improvements, soldiers who had routinely left base to eat at McDonald’s now prefer the new “bistros” Irvine helped create.
Under Kennedy, HHS and its sub-agencies are committed to ensuring America’s defenders are as healthy as possible– reflecting the core MAHA philosophy that wholesome foods will enhance health and immune function.
As Chef Irvine has observed, “Give someone a brand-new Mercedes and fill it with olive oil. It won’t go very far.”
Secretary Kennedy addressed hospital food with equal passion. “If you go to someone’s house and tell them the meal they serve you tastes like hospital food, it’s not meant to be a compliment,” he said. “We are changing hospital diets dramatically, learning from cooks like Geoffrey Zakarian.”
RFK Jr. summarized all of these transformative policy shifts as MAHA-inspired “changes to our dietary culture and addictions to processed foods” that are “training children’s palates to desire healthy food.”
He dismissed partisan conflicts in this continuing MAHA mission, calling upon Americans to come together because “There’s no such thing as Republican or Democrat children.”
OTA’s Chapman wrapped up the presentation by thanking the secretary for his contribution not only to OTA’s Annual conference but also to the American organic food system by attending.