Kevin Hall has retired early from the National Institutes of Health and expressed concerns about being able to pursue ‘unbiased science’ in the Trump administration.
X
Kevin Hall has retired early from the National Institutes of Health and expressed concerns about being able to pursue ‘unbiased science’ in the Trump administration.
April 17, 2025
April 17, 2025 – Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made curbing the consumption of ultra-processed foods a central tenet of his Make America Healthy Again campaign. But yesterday, Kevin Hall, the country’s leading researcher studying those foods, resigned from his position at the National Institutes of Health, a subagency of HHS.
Expand your understanding of food systems as a Civil Eats member. Enjoy unlimited access to our groundbreaking reporting, engage with experts, and connect with a community of changemakers.
Already a member?
Login
“Unfortunately, recent events have made me question whether NIH continues to be a place where I can freely conduct unbiased science,” Hall wrote in a post on X. “Specifically, I experienced censorship in the reporting of our research because of agency concerns that it did not appear to fully support preconceived narratives of my agency’s leadership about ultra-processed food addiction.”
Hall said NIH freezes on hiring and purchasing also made it difficult for him to staff his research projects and pay for supplies, including food for research participants, he wrote in a letter to Kennedy and NIH director Jay Bhattacharya. But Hall said since he received no response to the concerns, he felt compelled to accept early retirement, at 54.
Hall was the lead researcher on the most important randomized, controlled trial to date that showed diets high in ultra-processed foods cause individuals to eat more and gain more weight, even when matched for nutrients with a whole-food diet. At the National Food Policy Conference in March, as the keynote speaker, he talked about the preliminary results of his latest trial, which was intended to help get at why the foods “are bad news for health,” he said, in terms of their link to an epidemic of chronic diseases including diabetes and obesity.
Last year, the panel of experts that makes recommendations on the U.S. Dietary Guidelines declined to add restrictions on ultra-processed foods, citing the fact that more research is needed. Kennedy is now working with Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins on reviewing that report.
In response to a request for comment on Hall’s allegations of censorship, an HHS spokesperson sent Civil Eats a statement: “It’s disappointing that this individual is fabricating false claims. NIH scientists have, and will, continue to conduct interviews regarding their research through written responses or other means. We remain committed to promoting gold-standard research and advancing public health priorities. Any attempt to paint this as censorship is a deliberate distortion of the facts.” (Link to this post.)
July 30, 2025
From Oklahoma to D.C., a food activist works to ensure that communities can protect their food systems and their future.
Like the story?
Join the conversation.