February 24, 2025

To the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics:

The undersigned represents Registered Dietitian Nutritionists who are concerned about the current state of nutrition science and public health.

The rise of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the integral appointment of United States Secretary of Health and Human Services leads to grave concerns. RFK Jr. has spread misinformation and disinformation about many health and nutrition topics, including perpetuating myths that may lead to health harm. His Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement has been defined by and rooted in mistrust of our food system and anti-science rhetoric. As RDN’s, we know that making America healthy does not come from vilifying seed oils, promotion of raw milk, and spreading misinformation and disinformation about food dyes and vaccines. Yet, to our disappointment, we have not seen the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics take a stance against his appointment, while other science-based and public health organizations have.

We know that curbing the chronic disease epidemic is so much more complex than the simplistic and fear-based messages being proclaimed by the new administration and many influencers on social media. As educated professionals, we know that social determinants of health – which include neighborhood and built environment, economic stability, education and more – are a major contributor to the development of chronic diseases. The preservation and promotion of essential nutrition programs such as WIC, SNAP-Ed, the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program and more, are key to promoting health equity. Those of us who have chosen to study food and nutrition care deeply about the marginalized, those who live with low income, and who are at disproportionately higher rates of chronic disease. It is our professional responsibility to advocate continually for these populations. Therefore, we believe that the Academy must fight harder than ever before to amplify our voices; to preserve food and nutrition programs; to promote the RDN as the nutrition expert; to be vocal in its support of diversity, equity and inclusion; and to stand for science and accurate nutrition messaging.

It is expected that there will be a dramatic rise in nutrition misinformation / disinformation with RFK Jr. confirmed as HHS Secretary, and we strongly feel that the Academy must be a national leader in promoting sound nutrition information and science.

Our request and recommendation for the Academy is to develop a comprehensive, collaborative plan to counter the inevitable rise of misinformation / disinformation to come, to combat the undermining of our profession, and to be vocal in its support of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA). We recommend taking the following actions:

1. Promote sound science and nutrition recommendations, and assertively promote the RDN as the food and nutrition expert:
   • Begin a dedicated campaign in the promotion of accurate, science-based nutrition messaging, which should ideally include our own original appealing slogan
   • Elevate and amplify the voices of RDN’s who promote sound science (there are many courageous RDN’s who are already doing this on social media and receiving backlash)
   • Promote these voices on the eatright.org website and on social media profiles:
   • - Include a section on the main page of the eatright.org webpage where dietitians of many areas of specialization can contribute articles and videos, ideally for compensation, that debunk popular nutrition trends and promote sound nutrition information for public viewing
   • Create a public relations task force, comprised of public relations experts, to promote the RDN as the food and nutrition expert.  This task force can devise a strategic plan that may include:
   • - Scheduling media spots to promote our message on news and other media channels
   • - Developing marketing and advertising materials
   • - Collaborating with celebrities who promote sound science to get the Registered Dietitian to the forefront of the media

   • Establish an Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Instagram account intended for the public, which regularly shares accurate, science-based content created by Registered Dietitian Nutritionists on this platform.  (We have observed that eatright_pro is intended for RDN’s.)

   • Encourage RDN’s to “tag” the Academy’s Instagram account when they would like their content to be shared in this way
2. Develop public-facing position papers:
   • Make current position papers available to and easily accessible by the public on the eatright.org website
   • Develop position papers on trending nutrition topics in the media (such as: seed oils, food dyes, raw milk, conventional vs organic produce, etc.)
3. Develop working relationships with other public health organizations to stand as a united front during these unpredictable times in public health (such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the National WIC Association, etc.)
4. Ardently support Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access components within our field, which are essential to protecting our own members, and to protecting the public which we serve

The elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion language pursued by the current administration is of deep concern, especially given the importance of promoting diversity amongst our field.  We urge the Academy to be vocal in its support of IDEA.  We know that Registered Dietitian Nutritionists of every background are needed to connect with patients and clients culturally and linguistically.  When patients and clients can communicate with us in their own language, with an innate respect and understanding of their culture and values, we build trust, which is the foundation of achieving positive health outcomes.

The mission of the Academy is to accelerate improvements in global health and well-being through food and nutrition and one of the many vital principles is to have a global impact in eliminating all forms of malnutrition.  If we, as an organization, remain publicly silent now – or worse, align ourselves with MAHA which is so deeply rooted in anti-science propaganda and the spread of potentially dangerous inaccuracies in nutrition and public health information – we undermine our integrity as the food and nutrition experts.  This is the time for our collective organization to unite and work together in advancing our vision of living in a world where all people thrive through the transformative power of food and nutrition.  Now, more than ever, our country needs dedicated, timely, and eager promotion of sound, reliable nutrition messaging from our organization of trained, intelligent, and empathetic nutrition experts.

We look forward to your response on these matters.

In pursuit of health equity for all,