US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has blamed Big Tobacco for helping drive America’s obesity and chronic disease crisis by shaping the modern ultra-processed food industry. In a 77 WABC radio interview, Kennedy claimed cigarette companies, facing lawsuits and tightening regulation over smoking, diversified into food by buying major brands and applying the same research approach used to increase cigarette dependence. He argued that this “addiction science” was redirected towards engineered foods designed to keep people eating, contributing to rising levels of obesity, diabetes, and other long-term health problems.
