AUSTIN (KXAN) — U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Austin ISD’s Cunningham Elementary School Friday as part of his push to change school nutrition.
He stopped by the school to see what the district is doing to create healthier meals for students. During his visit he looked over meal options, talked with cafeteria staff and Austin ISD administration and even served meals to kids in the lunch line.
Afterward, KXAN asked him what he thought about the visit.
“It is fantastic,” Kennedy said. “It is so great to see these kids getting healthy food, hot food. This is what we need to do all across the country.”
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. tours a kitchen at an Austin ISD school on Feb. 27, 2026. (KXAN Photo/Nabil Remadna)
Kennedy said his mission on cutting out harmful ingredients is not over.
“Getting the food dyes out of the school lunches and all of the toxic ingredient. We have the sickest population in the world right now, and it is because they are eating bad food,” Kennedy said. “70 percent of the calories kids intake today are ultra-processed food, and that is just poison.”
Ryan Mikolaycik, executive director of food services at AISD, said students are greeted with fresh fruits and vegetables when they get to the cafeteria.
“We have been leaders in farm fresh initiatives. We have been leaders in clean ingredients. We have been leaders of getting dyes out of our food,” Mikolaycik said.
It has not been easy with so many preservatives, dyes and ultra processed foods all over the place, but he credits his team going above and beyond to pick out healthy options and read over labels when selecting food.
“We’ve come a long way,” Mikolaycik said.
Earlier this week, Kennedy spoke at an “Eat Real Food” rally in Austin.
Last fall, he unveiled new dietary guidelines for Americans, which recommend more saturated fats from non-processed dairy and meat sources. Medical professionals say more saturated fats will have a negative impact on Americans’ health.
“New dietary guidelines that are common sense, that stress the need to eat saturated fats of dairy, of good meat, of fresh meat and vegetables … when we release those, it will give everybody the rationale for driving it into our schools,” Kennedy said at the time.
His visit was not welcomed by everyone, though. A group of protesters posted up outside the school. Karah Shirk, the organizer of the protest, told KXAN that she has concerns with the secretary’s views on vaccinations.
“We think his interest in nutrition is a little eclipsed by all of the other problems he brings to the table,” Shirk said.
KXAN asked Kennedy if he has any concerns with vaccination rates in Texas and where he stands on vaccinations in general.
“We encourage people to comply with the vaccine schedule,” Kennedy said.
He’s also faced criticism from legislators, HHS staff and the public for his stances. A survey released earlier this month suggests that public confidence in HHS subagencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has dropped.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
