New Jersey voters sound off on public Health Policies for Food in new poll

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The Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign spearheaded by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. latest quest is to ban synthetic food dyes from foods.

In addition to this ban, voters of the Garden State want increased restrictions, trust and confidence from the government when it pertains to public health policies regarding food according the Stockton Polling Institute.

The poll of 667 registered New Jersey voters released by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University revealed that 40% also want agriculture to be more heavily regulated.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA has already banned red dye No. 3 in January and are now adding a total of six dyes (Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, and Blue 2) to the list that will be banned by the end of the next year. 

“The MAHA movement is a sprawling umbrella that merges false or debunked claims, controversial rhetoric and anti-establishment sentiment with some more widely accepted ideas around food, health and wellness,” said Hughes Center Head of Research Alyssa Maurice.

Here are some of the findings:

Public Health Policy

Majorities of New Jersey voters want more stringent regulations around pharmaceuticals (65%) and the food and beverage industry (55%).

• Increasing restrictions on the use of pesticides in agriculture: 75% of  Democrats agree, 82% of Republicans agree and 73% of Independents agree
• Ban certain food additives or food dyes: 84% of  Democrats agree, 90% of Republicans agree and 83% of Independents agree
• Ban processed foods from public school lunches: 72% of  Democrats agree, 79% of Republicans agree and 68% of Independents agree
• Ban the purchase of candy and soda with SNAP benefits: 39% of  Democrats agree, 71% of Republicans agree and 54% of Independents agree

Vaccine Confidence

Seventy-one percent of voters said it is very important for children to get vaccinated the poll revealed.

• 93% of Democrats said it is somewhat important
• 54% of Republicans said it is somewhat important
• 63% of Independents said it is somewhat important

91% of Democrats believe the benefits out weigh the risk while only 63% of Republican agree.

Trust in federal health agencies

More than one-third (35%) of voters overall have no confidence in the federal government to ensure the safety of the food supply in the U.S., while 27% are not too confident, 26% are somewhat confident, and 12% are very confident.

• Confident rate in the safety of the food supply: 70% of Republicans, 21% of Democrats, and 34% of Independents
• Trust rate in medical and pharmaceutical treatments: 68% of Republicans, 27% of Democrats, and 31% of Independents

“The findings show how politically polarizing federal health agencies have become. We see in public opinion on the economy that voters are happier with economic conditions when their party is in charge. In this poll, we’re seeing that same pattern with public health authorities,” Maurice said.