Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is taking aim at ultra-processed foods as the next major front in the Trump administration’s national health push, formally launching a government effort to define and eventually curb their role in the American diet.
In a joint move with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Kennedy announced a public Request for Information (RFI) designed to create a clear, standardized federal definition of ultra-processed food. The announcement marks the latest step in the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) initiative — an ambitious drive to reduce chronic disease by cleaning up the U.S. food and vaccine supply.
“Ultra-processed foods are driving our chronic disease epidemic,” Kennedy said. “We must act boldly to eliminate the root causes of chronic illness and improve the health of our food supply. Defining ultra-processed foods with a clear, uniform standard will empower us even more to Make America Healthy Again.”
According to HHS, roughly 70% of packaged foods sold in America fall under the ultra-processed category — and children now get more than 60% of their calories from such products. These include many snacks, cereals, frozen meals, sweetened drinks, and foods containing industrial additives, preservatives, emulsifiers, or synthetic dyes.
Citing “dozens of scientific studies,” the department noted links between these foods and rising rates of obesity, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even neurological disorders. By creating a federal standard, Kennedy said the administration would be able to introduce sharper food labeling, incentivize reformulation, and guide future policy toward reducing disease at the source.
Secretary Rollins emphasized the importance of bringing producers on board. “A unified, widely understood definition for ultra-processed foods is long overdue,” she said, while assuring that “the great men and women of the agriculture value chain will be part of the conversation.”
The RFI will remain open for public comment until September 23, asking scientists, food experts, and the general public to weigh in on what criteria should be used to classify a food as “ultra-processed.”
Kennedy has already begun working directly with major food companies to reduce Americans’ exposure to harmful additives. Many brands have voluntarily committed to removing synthetic food dyes or reformulating ingredients, a move HHS has encouraged with the promise of regulatory clarity and public recognition.
Meanwhile, the administration’s broader MAHA campaign is starting to reshape more than just the food supply. Just last week, Kennedy announced that the mercury-based preservative thimerosal will be permanently removed from all flu vaccines in the U.S. — a long-standing issue for Kennedy, who praised the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for recommending the move based on safety concerns.
“We are taking a comprehensive approach to protecting the health of American families,” Kennedy said. “That means cleaning up our food, cleaning up our medicine, and giving people the honest information they need to live longer, healthier lives.”
The Trump administration’s strategy is clear: tackle preventable disease at the source, put power back in the hands of consumers, and restore trust in public health by eliminating the industrial pollutants that have quietly saturated American life for decades.
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