Former MAHA Adviser Calley Means Alleges White House Officials Weakened Food and Vape Policies Under Industry Pressure

Calley Means, a former White House health adviser and ally of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., alleged on Joe Rogan's podcast and in a Nov. 8 CBS interview that senior White House officials changed health policies on processed food and vaping in response to industry influence. He claimed a planned federal definition of ultra-processed food was scrapped days before announcement after lobbyists from Coca-Cola and Mondelez threatened to contact then-chief of staff Susie Wiles' office. He also alleged that deputies to Wiles pushed HHS for a fruit-flavored vape pathway and that a limit on 7-OH, a potent kratom-derived compound, was raised 20-fold. Several people he named denied the claims, including James Blair, Brian Ballard, Tony Fabrizio, and a spokesperson for Continental Strategy. Wiles had not commented publicly as of Nov. 9, and Kennedy and HHS had not responded to CBS by broadcast time. Some timeline elements are documented: in July 2025, the FDA and USDA sought public input on a uniform ultra-processed food definition; in August 2026, a proposed definition was sent to the White House, and the FDA called off a planned release. The definition has not been published, and the public record does not show who made the final decision or why. On vaping, the FDA authorized its first fruit-flavored e-cigarettes for adults on May 5, made by Glas Inc. with age-verification technology. Former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary told CBS that tobacco companies pressured him to approve fruit-flavored vapes and that he refused. For parents, practical health guidance has not changed: fruit and candy flavors appeal to teens, and nicotine can affect the developing adolescent brain. Without a federal definition, shoppers can read ingredient lists and nutrition labels. Products sold as 7-OH or concentrated kratom can carry risks of dependence and dangerous side effects. Democrats take control of Congress in January, and Rep. Robert Garcia, the expected incoming chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has said he would take up the claims.

(Source：Medical Daily)