“RFK Jr.’s quest to remake the American diet will be costly” (May 25, Business) mischaracterizes the facts about cleaning up our diets and the food chain.
The valid scientific data is clear that:
• Risky foods with excessive sugar, fats, processing, etc., contribute to serious health problems, including cancer, heart disease and reduced life expectancy.
• Problematic additives including preservatives, colors and flavors contribute to disease incidence.
• Dangerous adulterants such as bacteria, yeasts, molds, parasites, heavy metals and pesticides receive little or no screening in the food and nutritional supplement supply chain.
The annual U.S. $200 billion cost and 600,000 deaths for cancer and $400 billion and 100,000 deaths for diabetes are not mentioned.
An industry realignment toward healthy ingredients will create economies of scale and reduce the current cost differences cited.
The irony of this Bloomberg News article is that Michael Bloomberg’s Bloomberg Philanthropies is spending more than $400 million supporting what these writers are criticizing.
Well-considered, science-based improvements in the quality and safety of what we put in our mouths, including organic methods, provide a valuable return on a modest investment, one too good to turn down.
Dan Labriola, ND, Seattle
