Nestlé CEO says packaged food is “very important for mankind” just before RFK Jr.’s confirmation

Nestlé CEO Laurent Freixe defended packaged foods on Thursday, just moments before Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

Kennedy has criticized packaged foods and ultra-processed foods (UPFs), calling the latter “poisonous” in several instances. Despite his harsh remarks, Kennedy said during his Jan. 29 appearance before the Senate Committee on Finance that he’s not looking to ban UPFs. But on Jan. 30, during an appearance before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Kennedy underscored the harms of UPFs. He told lawmakers that food producers have been allowed to “mass poison American children,” reiterating his previous claims that UPFs are “poison” and contributing to the nation’s “chronic disease epidemic.”

Nestlé is the world's largest food and beverage company, best known for an array of packaged food products, including Maggi instant noodles, Cheerios, Hot Pockets, Lean Cuisine and Häagen-Dazs.

“The US is very, very important to us, and we are monitoring the situation,” Freixe told Reuters.

“Packaged foods are very, very important for mankind,” he continued. “They have brought safe foods to many. They preserve the quality of the food. They allow us to fight food waste.” 

Freixe also acknowledged that Nestlé is committed to nutrition and health: “This is our goal as well. We are all for good diets, diverse diets and nutrient-rich diets.”