Little Kennedy will serve as the U.S. Secretary of Health. Will the U.S. stock market's food and pharmaceutical industries undergo significant changes?

According to Zhitong Finance, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be sworn in as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services later on Thursday, with one of his primary tasks in the new position being to implement some of the ideas outlined in his "Make America Healthy Again" campaign. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt stated in an interview that President Trump will sign an executive order shortly after taking office to establish an administrative management committee. The focus of the Department of Health and Human Services will include reducing chronic diseases, promoting healthy eating, and improving food safety.

Shortly after Trump's victory in the November election, a post was published on the MAHA campaign website stating that Kennedy would end the corruption in health agencies and bring back real science. The post stated, "For too long, large pharmaceutical companies and food industry giants have controlled the agencies that are supposed to protect us. We need to cut these corrupt ties and return these agencies to the people." Another MAHA website, "MAHA Action," indicated that it has two initiatives: "Clean, Safe, and Transparent Food Industry" and "Increased Transparency and Accountability for Pharmaceutical Companies."

Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as food companies, have expressed concerns about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s impact on their industries. During his confirmation hearing, he stated that he believes in the use of vaccines, which alleviated some concerns from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, although past statements suggest otherwise. Vaccine manufacturers will be affected by his stance, including GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.US), Sanofi (SNY.US), Pfizer (PFE.US)/BioNTech (BNTX.US), Moderna (MRNA.US), and Novavax (NVAX.US).

Additionally, after initially publicly opposing the use of GLP-1 weight loss drugs, such as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy (semaglutide) and Eli Lilly's Zepbound (lixisenatide), he referred to them as "miracle drugs" during a Senate hearing at the end of January. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly may hope that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will pressure the Department of Health and Human Services to ban compounded versions of GLP-1 drugs, such as semaglutide offered by Hims & Hers Health (HIMS.US), which are eating into their revenues.

In November of last year, General Mills (GIS.US) stated that it would actively consult with regulators regarding the use of food colorings. A Wells Fargo analyst believes that the Department of Health and Human Services' push for health may benefit several chain grocery stores, including Kroger (KR.US), Albertsons (ACI.US), and Amazon's Whole Foods Market (AMZN.US)