RFK Jr.’s worst nightmare, by Nicholas Florko
Today’s must-read: The candy convention was a celebration of everything that the health secretary believes is wrong with our food.
 

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Under RFK Jr., the future of junk food is shakier than ever. You wouldn’t know that by attending a candy convention, Nicholas Florko writes.

(Evan Jenkins for The Atlantic)

 

A Wednesday morning in May is a strange time to be trick-or-treating—especially if you’re an adult wearing business casual. The Indiana Convention Center had just opened to visitors for the second day of Sweets & Snacks, the largest gathering of the candy and snack industry in North America. Along with nearly 15,000 other attendees, I went from booth to booth trying samples. By 10:40, I was sipping a complimentary blue-raspberry-watermelon Icee while a woman to my right took a selfie with Mr. Jelly Belly …

Judging by my three days in Indianapolis, the hot new trends are freeze-dried candy and anything that tastes vaguely East Asian: think “matcha latte” popcorn. But right now, that future looks shaky, particularly for confections. Candy embodies everything that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. believes is wrong with the American diet. It’s mainly sugar (which Kennedy has called “poison”), counts as an ultra-processed food (which Kennedy has called “poison”), and is often colored with synthetic food dyes (which Kennedy has called “poison”).

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