(Casey Harper, The Center Square) U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has unveiled an online tool that allows users to search for chemical contaminants in their food and other products.
The online tool appears to be an early effort in Kennedy’s leadership at HHS to provide transparency and accountability for the food and drug supply chain, a long-time message of his in his effort to “Make America Healthy Again.”
Users can search a variety of foods and find the levels of different contaminants.
“HHS is committed to radical transparency to give Americans authentic, informed consent about what they are eating,” Kennedy said in a statement. “This new Chemical Contaminants Transparency Tool is a critical step for industry to Make America Healthy Again.”
The online tool allows users to search for common contaminants such as pesticides or other chemicals which often appear to be at alarming levels. Many common foods appear to have chemical contaminants above levels the Food and Drug Administration has deemed appropriate.
“Ideally there would be no contaminants in our food supply, but chemical contaminants may occur in food when they are present in the growing, storage or processing environments,” Acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner said in a statement.
“Because many of the most nutritious foods can also contain contaminants, consumers should eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods across and within the main food groups of vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy and protein to help protect from possible exposure effects.”
