Carson was housing secretary during the president’s first term.
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.”
“There is no one more qualified than Dr. Carson to advise on policies that improve Americans’ everyday quality of life, from nutrition to healthcare quality to ensuring families have access to safe and stable housing,” USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement.
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.
Carson will advise Rollins and Trump on policies related to nutrition, health care, and housing, according to the USDA. He will assist Rollins in her work as part of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission. The commission is headed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and recently released its second report, a strategy document that said the USDA’s MAHA efforts would include studying “precision nutrition,” or identifying how exposure to certain foods and drinks impacts people.
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.
Trump announced this month that he would be awarding Carson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, known as the highest civilian award in the country. Trump was speaking at an event held by the American Cornerstone Institute, which Carson founded. The institute says on its website that it fights for faith, liberty, community, and life.
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