• by Tanya Gazdik , April 23, 2026

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he would support a ban on junk food TV ads.

“Speaking at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing, ranking member Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said President Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, Casey Means, had recently told the panel she supports banning junk food ads on TV,” according to CNBC. “When asked whether he agrees with a ban, Kennedy said, ‘I would support that.’ But Kennedy also appeared to imply that he would want the effort to be voluntary for food companies.”

The food and restaurant industry spends about $14 billion annually for advertising in the U.S., according to an often cited 2017 analysis of Nielsen data by the University of Connecticut's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health. Of this, over 80% promoted fast food, sugary drinks, candy, and unhealthy snacks.

“The Trump administration is looking into possible limits on junk food ads for children, according to a strategy report released by the Make America Healthy Again Commission last year,” according to Seeking Alpha. 

The HHS and Federal Trade Commission, along with other relevant agencies, will explore the development of potential industry guidelines to limit the direct marketing of certain unhealthy foods to children, including by evaluating the use of misleading claims and imagery, according to the report.

Kennedy has been pushing food makers to remove petroleum-based dyes by the end of 2026. He also has actively pushed to restrict the types of foods allowed under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to exclude items considered unhealthy, such as soda and candy. 

Last month, Kennedy chose Florida to roll out a new health initiative aimed at overhauling hospital food.

“Having revamped the food pyramid and pushed state food assistance programs to restrict soda and other processed foods, Kennedy has turned his sights on U.S. hospitals, arguing that providing healthy food to patients can aid healing and reduce readmissions,” according to Politico. “And the announcement taking place in Florida is another signal of the state’s continued alignment with MAHA movement priorities being heralded by the Trump administration.”

The U.S. is not the only country aiming to legislate wellness. 

The U.K. Parliament just yesterday approved a law that bans the supply or sale of tobacco products to anyone born in 2009 or after, permanently.

“The bill applies to people currently 17 years old or younger and aims to keep them from ever picking up the habit in their lifetime,” according to The New York Times. "The proposal is expected to soon go into law after the final formality of approval by King Charles III.”