The Blubber

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has introduced a new online tool that allows users to search for chemical contaminants in their food and other consumer products.

The initiative marks one of Kennedy’s early moves at HHS to increase transparency and accountability in the food and drug supply chain—a long-standing priority in his push to “Make America Healthy Again.”

Users can search a variety of foods to check for levels of different contaminants.

“HHS is committed to radical transparency to give Americans authentic, informed consent about what they are eating,” Kennedy said in a statement. “This new Chemical Contaminants Transparency Tool is a critical step for industry to Make America Healthy Again.”

The tool allows users to look up common contaminants such as pesticides and other chemicals, some of which appear at concerning levels. In many cases, common foods contain chemical residues exceeding thresholds deemed appropriate by the Food and Drug Administration.

“Ideally, there would be no contaminants in our food supply, but chemical contaminants may occur in food when they are present in the growing, storage, or processing environments,” Acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner said in a statement. “Because many of the most nutritious foods can also contain contaminants, consumers should eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods across and within the main food groups of vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, and protein to help protect from possible exposure effects.”