CHARLOTTE, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Local produce and healthy food options were on the menu in the latest installment of the America First Speaker Series sponsored by the America First Policy Institute (AFPI).

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined GOP Congressman Tom Barrett in Charlotte on Tuesday to promote healthy eating. The Trump administration is working to push healthier nutrition options to tackle obesity rates nationwide.

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“If we’re going to reclaim America’s health, food is the key to everything,” Kennedy said at Country Mill Farms.

Kennedy, speaking to a crowd of about 100 people, said processed foods don’t do Americans any favors. He asserted that previous nutrition guidelines from federal health leaders contributed to rising obesity rates and related health conditions.

“If it comes in a package, you probably shouldn’t be eating it,” Kennedy said.

Both Kennedy and Barrett said local farms cultivate a key effort to improve diets in the U.S. Ben LaCross, president of the Michigan Farm Bureau, said Michigan farms produce more than 300 different commodities.

“If we’re going to reclaim America’s health, food is the key to everything,” Barrett said.

Barrett is a first-term Republican lawmaker who is working to retain his seat in November. He faces the winner of the three-way Democratic primary: former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink; Matt Maasdam, a former military aide to President Barack Obama; and William Lawrence, a progressive community organizer from Lansing.

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Michigan’s primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 4.