Utah became the first in the nation to ban fluoride from its water, prohibited families from using food stamps to buy soda and limited school cafeterias from serving foods that include some dyes and other additives — all policies pushed by once-presidential candidate, now Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
On Monday, Kennedy will join a handful of Republican state lawmakers in Salt Lake City for a victory lap as he looks to implement such changes as part of his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda nationwide. The head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, will appear with Kennedy.
Kennedy ended an independent bid for president in August, endorsing President Donald Trump. In October, he announced on a Zoom call with supporters that Trump had promised him the spot overseeing U.S. public health agencies.
A few days before the 2024 election, Kennedy said in a post on X that a Trump administration would “advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” alleging that the mineral “is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease.”
Early this year, a GOP state representative published a bill to prohibit the fluoridation of any public water system, and keep county and municipal elected officials from enacting or enforcing policies to add fluoride to their water. Despite some Republican opposition, it passed.
While there is limited evidence backing Kennedy’s claims, fluoride is scientifically proven to strengthen tooth enamel and prevent cavities. The Utah Dental Association was among the groups that spoke out against the bill.
Freshman Republican Rep. Kristen Chevrier, of Highland, successfully introduced two bills that mirror changes Kennedy has advocated for.
One bars food that contains some artificial colors and preservatives from being provided in schools — including some ingredients Kennedy wants to restrict in all U.S. foods before leaving office. Utah’s newest member of Congress, Rep. Mike Kennedy, announced a bill similar to Utah’s on Wednesday.
The second law makes it so low-income families cannot use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to buy soft drinks, defined in the bill as “a nonalcoholic beverage that is made with carbonated water and that is flavored and sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners.”
Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture has to approve a waiver for Utah to enforce the ban, Kennedy is encouraging more states to pursue the idea.
When Kennedy — who has developed a reputation for spreading anti-vaccine disinformation — was running for president, Utah was the first state in which he qualified for the ballot. In November 2023, he gathered supporters’ signatures at a rally in Salt Lake City.
Although Gov. Spencer Cox signed all three Utah bills backed by Kennedy, he will not attend the Monday event or meet with the health and human services secretary. According to a spokesperson for Cox’s office, the governor will be in Canada on a trade mission.