Sam Kass on climate change and the Michelle Obama era

Sam Kass calls RFK Jr. "the greatest threat to public health this country has ever faced."He’s not joking. Sam led Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign, served as senior policy advisor in the Obama White House, and fought some of the most brutal food policy battles in recent memory. He knows what it takes to enact regulation and how hard industry will fight to protect its interests.Hearing MAHA panic about seed oils and food dyes while the administration weakens the FDA and CDC all while championing beef tallow french fries is downright alarming, he says. And that’s before we even get to the fact that the Trump administration is moving backward on responding to the climate crisis, which is the focus of his latest book, The Last Supper.Sam doesn’t hold back in this interview.Heads up for those with kids: There are some expletives in this conversation.Highlights:– How Big Potato fought the White House over what counts as a vegetable in school lunch and WIC– The reason why Sam's first cookbook didn't include white potatoes– The trans fat ban fight– How climate change has moved from future threat to present crisis– Why seed oils and food dyes are a distraction from what actually matters for public health– Fact-checking the narrative that Michelle Obama "caved to industry"– Democrats lost the food issue to Republicans — can they get it back?Where to find Sam Kass:Follow Sam Kass on InstagramCheck out his book, The Last SupperMentioned in this episode:Bold Fork BooksThe Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010Marion Nestle's Food Politics blogFed Up documentaryCOP 21 Paris Climate AgreementHow I Built This: Spindrift — Bill CreelmanStay in touch:Sign up for Helena’s must-read weekly newsletter: Food Fix.Follow American Dish on Instagram and YouTube.Send ideas and feedback to info@foodfix.coCheck out Forked, the food politics podcast Helena co-hosts with the Food & Environment Reporting Network.Credits: This episode was edited by Adrienne Cruz. Original music by David Bottemiller.