Calley Means resigns from Trump administration health advisory role

Calley Means has resigned from the Trump administration, where he was a senior adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and an advocate for the Make America Healthy Again movement, NBC News and STAT reported. Means confirmed his departure to STAT and announced it in a statement and on X, according to the outlets.

Means did not give a reason in his statement, STAT reported. NBC News, citing a person familiar with his decision, and Time, citing reporting by The New York Times and POLITICO, said he had grown frustrated with slow progress on MAHA goals, especially a federal definition of ultraprocessed foods. NBC News reported that the administration had teased a definition in August but had not released it.

Means promoted efforts to restrict soda purchases with SNAP benefits, encourage food companies to phase out certain dyes, revise federal dietary guidelines and advance psychedelic research, NBC News reported. The White House said it was grateful for his time in the administration and praised his work for the MAHA movement.