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Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement that HHS is “talking about a plan to teach people to cook” reads like political theatre dressed up as public policy, and conservatives should be clear-eyed about both the promise and the peril. Teaching basic skills such as cooking and nutrition is uncontroversial and even laudable when done by families, churches, and local communities, but handing the task to federal bureaucrats risks turning a private virtue into another sprawling government program.
There is a real case to be made for renewing habits of self-reliance and food literacy, yet the details matter: Kennedy reportedly suggested using the Commissioned Corps and other HHS resources to go into neighborhoods and teach people how to shop and cook, even noting people “don’t have the cutlery” or pots and pans. What starts as a goodwill effort can quickly become paternalistic oversight when unelected agency staff decide who knows how to feed their family.
Hypocrisy is hard to ignore. Kennedy has been simultaneously railing against ultra-processed foods while, in the past, promoting companies and programs that market pre-packaged meals to vulnerable Americans — a disconnect that should make anyone skeptical of top-down dietary crusades. Before celebrating federal instruction in the kitchen, it’s reasonable to ask whether the administration is serious about real food or simply advancing a fashionable agenda.
The administration points to early wins, like a reported shake-up of military cafeteria menus overseen by celebrity chef Robert Irvine that allegedly led soldiers to choose base meals over fast food. If true, improving options on bases and in schools is a commonsense reform; Republicans who care about troops and families should applaud better food, not automatically oppose innovation. Still, scaling a celebrity-driven pilot into an expansive federal program requires scrutiny over costs, effectiveness, and unintended consequences.
Other elements of Kennedy’s approach — from pushing food companies for ingredient safety data to trimming the federal dietary guidelines and pushing industry changes like removing artificial dyes — point to a sweeping agenda that mixes worthy goals with regulatory heavy-handedness. Conservatives should challenge the notion that Washington knows best how every household should cook and eat, and insist that reforms preserve free enterprise, parental control, and local solutions rather than expanding federal reach.
At bottom, restoring kitchen culture is a cause many on the right can support if it advances personal responsibility, strengthens families, and leverages private institutions rather than bloating the administrative state. Let churches, schools, small businesses, and community groups lead the revival of real food and real skills, while holding officials accountable for the limits of what big government can and should do.
