The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a huge influence over the knowledge that everyday Americans have of food labels being marketed as “healthy.” Experts suggest a marketing trap occurs because the actual ingredients on the labels of various food items are not always actually healthy.
“The FDA is essentially… the lap dog for Big Pharma,” said Dr. Lewis. “Big Pharma funds about six lobbyists for every member of Congress… They have all this money being funneled into the FDA.”
Three experts spoke to Our Weekly about the problem at stake—the FDA’s misleading food labels, doctors being taught to treat symptoms with medication rather than teaching people proper nutrition due to their own lack of nutrition training, bad ingredients, and more.
The current administration has the goal of promoting healthy eating with the launch of its “Make America Healthy Again” movement, but the greater question is… are Americans really on a pathway to becoming healthier when all the carcinogenic chemicals and poor ingredients used in mass food production contribute to Big Pharma?
“We’ve constantly lived under this inverted relationship between drugs and nutrition. It’s completely backwards,” said Dr. Lewis.
Dr. John Lewis says personal health is in your hands
John E. Lewis, Ph.D., is the founder and president of Dr. Lewis Nutrition and holds academic positions at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. With substantial research experience, he has been the principal investigator of over 30 studies, garnering over $30 million in funding for research, clinical trials, and educational programs. He also serves as a diplomate, faculty member, and advisor for the Medical Wellness Association.
Dr. Lewis offers a candid, research-backed perspective on why the US medical system is still failing the nutrition test. He also discussed the inadequacies in medical education regarding nutrition, noting that physicians receive minimal training in this area, often less than 20–30 hours over four years.
“Just because somebody is standing in front of you in a white lab coat—with ‘Dr.’ in front of their name—doesn’t necessarily mean [they] know anything about nutrition, because I know these people. I’ve worked with them for decades.”
He also critiqued the healthcare system in the U.S. – “We call our system in the United States healthcare; it’s not, it’s disease management. It’s a medical-disease-focused system. It’s not a healthcare system… It doesn’t matter what the system tries to tell us to do. It’s still up to us individually to make the decision to take personal responsibility for that.”
Recently, the FDA has begun a slight shift to evolve what can be labeled as “healthy” on food labels. 53 medical schools across the US voluntarily pledged to offer at least 40 hours of nutrition education to medical students beginning this fall, including institutions in California.
Foods, meat, and dairy labeled as “healthy” in the U.S.
Dr. Lewis argues that meat such as beef, in the U.S., is far more processed than people realize, even if it is labeled as “just beef” and nothing else added. He contrasts beef with products such as the newly popularized Impossible brand being used for the Impossible Burger or the Beyond Burger brand. He notes that due to these products having a long ingredient list, many view them as “ultra-processed” foods when some of those products have healthy ingredients in them.
He also compared healthy meat substitute brands to the meat labeled as “just meat,” stating that it actually has been infused with genetic modification/selective breeding, artificial insemination, and fertility drugs to speed growth; the cows are fed non-GMO soy and corn instead of pasture grass. Dr. Lewis then mentioned another factor that most don’t know in regard to meats such as beef and chicken—post-slaughter treatments, in which formaldehyde and other chemical agents are used to preserve color and reduce bacteria, according to Lewis.
Dr. Lewis went on to say that the media and FDA have taught people that it is “healthy” to consume dairy from cows, most notably milk, when it, in fact, is not healthy for humans; it is only helpful to their offspring.
“No other mammal species drinks the breast fluid of another mammal… On a very basic biology 101 level, it makes no sense,” he said. “Eat a good, whole food, plant-based diet; take some key, certain dietary supplements that are not commonly in the diet; and then move your body every day… Those are the three pillars of my life for achieving health.”
Common ingredients that are harmful
According to Everyday Health, consumers in the U.S. make the mistake of assuming that food items such as candy, bread, chips, and other baked goods have been approved by the FDA yet are not aware that the FDA has loopholes in its regulations. According to a 2026 analysis conducted by the Environmental Working Group, 99 percent of new food chemicals are not vetted before they are put into products and sold.
The following food additives and chemicals have been banned in Europe but are allowed in the U.S.: Titanium dioxide (also known as E171), potassium bromate, azodicarbonamide, BHA and BHT, bovine growth hormone, synthetic food dye, and brominated vegetable oil are amongst the chemicals banned in Europe yet sold in the U.S.
Titanium dioxide is a food coloring found in popular candy products such as Skittles and Starburst. Studies have shown that these chemicals have been labeled as “genotoxic” and may lead to cancer, according to Everyday Health.
Potassium bromate is an additive that is found in baking products and baked goods such as pizza crust, bread, dinner rolls, and white flour. When bromate breaks down in the body, it rapidly mutates into bromide, which studies by researchers have shown has caused cancer in animals. For humans, researchers said that it may not necessarily lead to cancer but can lead to changes in human DNA. Luckily, as of 2023, potassium bromate has been banned in 11 states, including California, but it is still not banned in the remaining states or also China.
Food dyes such as Red no. 40, Yellow no. 5, Blue no. 1, and Yellow no. 6 are heavily added to a lot of food products, such as the candy brand Peeps and cereal brands such as Kellogg’s and General Mills, which have been linked to hyperactivity, irritability, and restlessness in children. The food dyes have also been known to cause allergic skin reactions, headaches, asthma symptoms, and stomach pain in adults, according to multiple medical reports.
Dr. Avishek Kumar explains the importance of whole foods
Dr. Avishek Kumar is a board-certified medical oncologist based in Edison, N.J., with a focus in modern, evidence-based cancer treatment, infusion therapies, and second opinions. He often speaks on cancer care policy, screening, and treatment advances and has been published in NJ.com and MedPage Today. He also is a lieutenant colonel and flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, including overseas deployments and operational flying.
Dr. Kumar explains the importance of whole foods vs. just trusting a label.
“We shouldn’t allow labels to do thinking for us. We should focus on real food, simple habits, and, of course, consistency… what actually drives health is consistently prioritizing whole foods and less processed foods,” he said. “At a basic level, our bodies are constantly repairing cells… that process revolves around nutrients as well as vitamins and minerals. So if you take in whole foods, these can deliver those nutrients in a balanced as well as bioavailable way, without excessive additives or sugars.”
He encourages people to never trust the buzzwords on the packaging of a food product, as they are usually just marketing, and the back of the label shows the truth of what ingredients are used.
“When I usually see patients, they already have cancer, and we need to treat them in two ways… chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, surgery, radiation… But those alone aren’t the only answer… We also encourage good and appropriate nutrition… to allow patients to have the strength to live as normal of a life as possible,” said Dr. Kumar.
Mark Meckler says that food regulations should be state-led, not governmental
Mark Meckler is a successful grassroots activist, co-founding the Tea Party Patriots, which mobilized millions and significantly influenced U.S. congressional power. He now leads Convention of States Action (COSA) as a co-founder and president, inspiring over 5 million volunteers.
Meckler spoke to Our Weekly to provide insight about the FDA’s role in inadequate food labeling regulations, which is influenced by the processed food industry, and why the federal government should not be involved. He suggests that individual states should have more power in food regulations, not the federal government, suggesting that California and Texas could lead in healthier food practices.
“We believe it’s time to rebalance power and go back to what was intended at the founding of the country—taking power away from the federal government and giving it back to the states, he said. “One of the problems we have is this behemoth FDA, which hasn’t been responsive to the people for a very long time. I’d rather see those kinds of regulations handled at the state level instead of the federal level,” said Meckler.
He also criticized the FDA’s lack of accountability, responsiveness, and the need for more education on healthy eating and nutrition.
“The processed food industry has enormous influence over the federal government and how labeling standards are created. They design labels that sound healthy and look healthy, but when you dig into the actual regulations, you realize the foods aren’t healthy at all—the rules are written to benefit the processed food industry.”