Food reforms, while long part of the public health conversation, could also simply be unrealistic both politically and bureaucratically, some experts said.
“It’s a good deal more complicated than he lets on,” said Dr Lurie. “These are real challenges, and you will encounter industry opposition at every turn.”
For one, the FDA does not have authority over the catch-all of “ultra-processed foods”, several former officials told the BBC.
Instead, they said, the process is more complicated. Both the US Department of Agriculture and the FDA regulate the food industry. The FDA does not make the rules – it carries out policies passed by Congress and works to limit unhealthy foods by enforcing limits and labelling on certain nutrients, like sodium and saturated fat.
Kennedy’s comments “make for great political rhetoric”, Ms Garner said. “In my view, I don’t see how that could be feasible without drastic changes in other policy and infrastructure.”
He will also face industry backlash for proposals to ban pesticides and genetically modified organisms commonly used by American farmers, former FDA officials said.
“The businesses will complain,” said Rosalie Lijinsky, a former FDA official of 33 years.
The industry is used to limited oversight from both Democrats and Republicans – including under Trump’s first term – while many of Kennedy’s goals would involve even more rulemaking.
Several food industry groups met with lawmakers before Kennedy’s appointment this month to lobby against him, Politico reported last month.
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, of Iowa, said this week that he planned to meet Kennedy before his confirmation hearing and “spend a lot of time educating him about agriculture”.
Kennedy’s position also puts him at odds with President-elect Trump, a longtime lover of fast food who worked to roll back stricter health requirements for school lunches during his first term.
“You get some ideas that make a certain amount of sense, but they are exactly the kind to which this administration is hostile,” Dr Lurie said.
In a statement to the BBC, the Food Industry Association, which represents food retailers, producers and manufacturers, like General Mills, said it looked forward to working with Trump’s team to “ensure food and drug policy continues to be grounded in science, to reduce regulatory complexity”.
The industry complaints about Kennedy’s agenda do not come as a surprise, said Jeff Hutt, a spokesperson for the Make America Healthy Again political action committee, which is urging Republican lawmakers to confirm Kennedy.
The goal of the health movement, Mr Hutt said, is “prioritising the wellness of America over corporate profits”.
“Even if the idea of banning ultra-processed food is not possible politically, it’s a conversation that we need to have,” he said.