Dr. Ben Carson joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Sept. 24 as a national adviser for nutrition, health, and housing.
“We’re going to really try to look at food from its inception, from the time it is planted, how the soil is treated by the time it is harvested, how it gets to stores, how it gets to the home, what happens to it in between, because we want the things that happen to it in between to be good things, not things that add to the devaluation of our foods,” Carson told reporters in Washington after he was sworn in. “And that’s going to make a big difference for our health.”
She said later that Carson, 74, will “help lead our efforts here at USDA to Make America Healthy Again and ensure rural America continues to prosper.”
The White House did not return a request for comment by publication time.
During President Donald Trump’s first term, Carson was secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The Carson announcement also comes ahead of the release of updated dietary guidelines. The update is a joint project between the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services.
As a neurosurgeon, Carson became famous for separating twins conjoined at the back of the head. He ran for president in 2016, eventually withdrawing and endorsing Trump. He was confirmed as housing secretary on March 2, 2017, and served through Jan. 20, 2021, the end of Trump’s term. Carson was named in May to Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission.