Trust in the FDA is collapsing. It's time to get really transparent about our food and our drugs | Fortune

A Fortune analysis says public trust in the FDA is eroding and argues for greater transparency in food and drug oversight. It cites polling showing that only about half of Americans trust the agency, down from roughly three-quarters two years earlier, and notes KFF data indicating fewer than half believe the FDA can decide without political interference. A June 2026 Harvard survey is also referenced, with a majority saying federal health recommendations have become “too influenced” by leaders’ personal beliefs rather than evidence. The article links much of the decline to leadership tensions, including claims by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that the FDA is “corrupt” and his push to revisit previously settled scientific positions. It points to an example in June when FDA scientists recommended tighter oversight for peptide therapies while Kennedy reportedly sought to loosen it. The piece argues recovery depends on transparency, scientific integrity, consistency, accountability, and modernization.