Kennedy under fire for promoting ready meals

Robert F Kennedy Jr promoted a company whose meals contain ultra-processed ingredients - which he has repeatedly railed against - on his “Make America healthy again” tour.

- Jessica Glenza US health reporter

The US health secretary appeared at a food plant in Oklahoma for Mom’s Meals, which makes 1.5m “medically tailored” meals a week and ships them all over the country.

Companies such as Mom’s Meals have been criticised for hijacking the “food is medicine” movement by providing “salty, fat-laden” meals to ill and elderly people, paid for by health insurance companies.

"This is really one of the solutions for making our country healthy again,” Kennedy said in a video posted to the his social media account. He had visited Mom’s Meals to celebrate the Food is Medicine Act of Oklahoma’s Republican governor, Kevin Stitt, which allows the state’s Medicaid programme to purchase such meals.

Nutritionists told the Guardian the company’s menus contained ultra-processed ingredients and could be healthier. The Associated Press first reported nutritionists’ concerns about Kennedy’s promotion of Mom’s Meals.