FROM EU TOBACCO WARS TO US FOOD WARS – SAME ENDING?

By Maltese Canadian

 

John Dalli, the former Maltese EU Health Commissioner, stood firm against the tobacco industry. In 2012, he resisted moves to loosen rules on tobacco products. He blocked efforts to open European markets wider. Then came the swift fall. An associate faced bribery claims from Swedish Match. Dalli denied any role. He insisted the tobacco lobby engineered his removal. EU President José Manuel Barroso forced his resignation. OLAF investigated. Back in Malta, enemies sharpened their knives. Once EU fury hit, local rivals piled in. They launched probes and charges. Dalli faced bribery accusations in Maltese courts. Many viewed it as a coordinated strike. EU pressure gave his domestic foes fresh courage.

Now consider Robert F. Kennedy Jr. As US Health Secretary in the Trump administration, he has targeted the food lobby from day one. Kennedy calls ultra-processed foods toxic. He drives the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. He pushes real food over additives and refined sugars. New guidelines favour meat, vegetables, and whole options. He challenges corporate sway on nutrition rules.

The parallels run deep. Both men took on powerful industries. Tobacco giants spent big to defend profits. Food giants do the same today. Yet Kennedy also battles enemies close to home. His own Kennedy clan has turned fiercely against him. Family members denounce his alliance with Donald Trump. They call it a betrayal of family values. Caroline Kennedy labelled him a “predator” unfit for office. Siblings issued joint statements of sorrow and outrage. They back Democrats and reject Republicans. This internal rift gives his Washington foes extra ammunition. Local critics, like Dalli’s Maltese rivals, feel emboldened.

Lobbies thrive on such divisions. Their influence reaches everywhere. They fund allies, craft stories, and exploit scandals. Once pressure builds from above, domestic knives come out. Dalli lost his EU post amid claims and local charges. Kennedy faces daily leaks, attacks, and family broadsides. Critics inside government slow his reforms. Industry voices warn of job losses. Family dissent paints him as extreme.

Kennedy holds Trump’s support for now. Public hunger for better food grows. Yet the food lobby’s money and reach remain vast. Family opposition adds a personal sting. A sudden scandal or probe could tip the scales. History shows how quickly momentum shifts.

Dalli fought on against the tobacco plot. Kennedy presses ahead for American health. But entrenched powers rarely yield without cost. Observers watch. If he falls, it may echo Dalli’s fate. This won’t be a coincidence, but the machine at work.