Health and agriculture leaders say new federal partnerships and education efforts could encourage Americans to prepare more meals at home.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said federal officials are considering a national initiative to help Americans relearn how to cook, arguing that the decline of home meal preparation has contributed to unhealthy eating habits across the country.
Kennedy made the remarks during a press conference held Wednesday alongside Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and physician Dr. Ben Carson while announcing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s launch of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans Strategic Partnerships and providing an update on the agency’s Stocking Standards final rule, according to a release published by the USDA during a department broadcast.
During the briefing, Kennedy discussed efforts to integrate updated nutrition guidance into federal programs, including changes to meals served to U.S. service members.
Kennedy said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has begun incorporating revised dietary guidelines into food served across military installations. As part of the effort, Kennedy said Hegseth brought in a nutrition specialist and celebrity chef Robert Irvine to help redesign meals provided at military dining facilities.
According to Kennedy, the goal is to shift military food offerings toward meals built around “real food, fresh food, locally sourced, whole food.”
Before the changes were implemented, Kennedy said only about one-third of service members were eating regularly in base cafeterias. Many soldiers were instead using their paychecks to purchase meals at nearby fast-food establishments.
Kennedy said the response to the revamped menu has been significant.
“There’s lines around the block,” Kennedy said, adding that soldiers have “stopped eating the local fast food.”
Kennedy said Irvine emphasized that healthier eating does not necessarily require higher food spending.
“Every American can feed themselves cheaper than fast food,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy also described what he believes is a broader cultural shift away from cooking at home.
“One of the challenges” facing federal health officials, he said, is that “Americans have forgotten how to cook.”
“Well, the convenience of fast food is one of the things that attracts them. Many of them don’t have the cutlery, they don’t have the pots and pans, they don’t have the cutting boards, and they don’t know how to shop,” Kennedy said. “One of the things that we’re talking about now at HHS is to use the Commissioned Corps or other groups within our agency to go out and actually teach people to cook.”
The proposal would involve mobilizing personnel within the Department of Health and Human Services, including members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, to provide instruction and resources designed to help Americans learn basic cooking skills and improve food purchasing decisions.
Kennedy’s remarks were delivered during a public event where officials discussed broader changes to federal nutrition guidance and food policy.
His comments also follow additional actions by the department aimed at examining the ingredients used in widely consumed commercial beverages.
Speaking at a recent rally, Kennedy said the federal government plans to request ingredient safety information from major beverage chains.
“We’re going to ask Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, ‘Show us the safety data that show that it’s OK for a teenage girl to drink an iced coffee with 115 grams of sugar in it,’” Kennedy said, according to reporting from The Hill.
Kennedy has also been pursuing changes to food manufacturing practices as part of broader efforts to address chronic health conditions linked to diet.
In March 2025, he told executives from several major food companies that removing artificial dyes from the U.S. food supply was among the Trump administration’s top priorities.
Several major food manufacturers have since announced plans to phase out artificial coloring and flavor additives in the coming years. Companies including General Mills, Nestlé, Hershey, Kraft Heinz and J.M. Smucker Co. have indicated they intend to remove certain synthetic dyes and ingredients from products by mid-2026 or 2027.
Kennedy said improving access to healthier foods and encouraging home cooking could play a role in addressing rising rates of diet-related illnesses.
The proposed cooking initiative, still under discussion, would focus on practical skills such as meal preparation, food purchasing and kitchen basics aimed at helping households rely less on processed and fast-food options.
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