2026-10-23 · contested story

RFK Jr. promised to define ‘ultraprocessed’ food. What's taking so long?

In August 2026, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the federal government would issue its first-ever formal definition of 'ultraprocessed foods,' a cornerstone of his 'Make America Healthy Again' agenda. But the definition stalled at the White House amid what multiple outlets describe as intense food-industry pressure, and the saga culminated in October 2026 with the resignation of Kennedy's top food-policy adviser Calley Means over 'frustrations about White House delays.' The underlying policy dilemma — that no one, including scientists, can agree on what 'ultraprocessed' actually means — runs through nearly every source, alongside the competing imperatives of public health advocates (who want labeling and regulation) and food producers and free-market voices (who warn of cost, confusion, and oversimplified science).

How each side frames it

left
"People's understandable distrust and discontent are being manipulated in service of a villainous power grab by some of the very same players that MAHA performs opposition to."
"UPFs make up two-thirds of the calories consumed by children and teenagers in the United States."
"it's still very hard to pin down what the definition [of ultra-processed] really is"
"an Associated Press review of Mom's Meals menu, including the ingredients and nutrition labels, shows that the company's offerings are the type of heat-and-eat, ultraprocessed foods that Kennedy routinely criticizes"
"RFK Jr. has not stopped at his slogan urging people to 'eat real food'... he often overstates the science"
center
"there is no universally accepted definition, and classification systems differ over which products qualify."
"The allegation that industry pressure is delaying the definition has not been independently established."
"Many studies suggest that diets high in such foods are linked to negative health outcomes. But these kinds of studies can't say whether the foods are the cause of the negative effects"
"sources familiar with the matter told the Journal that Means had become frustrated by postponed initiatives and believed food companies and special interests held too much influence"
right
"The MAHA campaign against ultra-processed foods has all the hallmarks of a modern policy fad: vague definitions, exaggerated claims, dubious science, and total confidence that more regulation must be the answer."
"a new University of Chicago study released this week found that ultra-processed food labeling requirements could cost American consumers $8.1 billion through higher grocery prices"
"The solution to its blandishments is not more regulation but more self-discipline."
"The change is a credit to him and the novel MAHA political coalition."
"If a foreign adversary sought to destroy the health of our children, cripple our economy, to weaken our national security, there would be no better strategy than to addict us to ultra-processed foods"

What each side left out

The left left out — covered by the Newsweek & Reason
The left left out — covered by the City Journal
The right left out — covered by the The Boston Globe & The Daily Beast
The right left out — covered by the Common Dreams & Mother Jones
The center left out — covered by the Common Dreams & The Daily Beast
The right left out — covered by the Common Dreams & PBS NewsHour

What's actually true?

[verified] Ultraprocessed foods make up roughly 55-60% of the average American's daily calories, and higher (around 62-70%) among children and teens.
[verified] The FDA/USDA submitted the first proposed federal definition of ultraprocessed foods for White House/OMB review in August 2026, but its text was not released.
[verified] The term 'ultraprocessed' and the NOVA four-tier classification system were developed by Brazilian researcher Carlos Monteiro and colleagues around 2009.
[verified] RFK Jr. publicly promised on The Joe Rogan Experience in February that by April a federal definition of ultraprocessed foods would exist, with a green/yellow/red traffic-light label system.
[verified] Tobacco companies Philip Morris and RJ Reynolds owned major food brands (Kraft, Nabisco, General Foods) from the 1980s to the 2000s and applied cigarette-science tactics to make foods more appealing/addictive.
[contested] The delay in releasing the UPF definition was driven by intense food-industry/trade-association pressure on the White House.
[verified] Calley Means, a senior HHS adviser to Kennedy, resigned amid frustration over White House delays to food-policy priorities and industry influence.
[verified] California enacted the first U.S. statutory definition of ultraprocessed foods, banning some 'of concern' from school meals (phased from 2029/2035) and creating a 'Non-Ultraprocessed Certified' front-of-package label.

The narrative clash

Whether ultraprocessed/processed foods can meaningfully be defined and regulated at all
Left: it's still very hard to pin down what the definition [of ultra-processed] really is
Right: 'Ultra-processed' and 'processed' are too broad, too ambiguous, and should be abandoned.
Whether processing itself (not just nutrients) drives health harm
Left: there's something about the processing itself that's important... We have now molecularly disassembled and reassembled foods in a way that's never been done before in human history
Right: How healthy a food is has less to do with the method in which the food is produced and more to do with its calorie density and nutritional content.
Whether the GRAS loophole proposed rule meaningfully protects health
Left: It's just quite misleading to say we're going to close the GRAS loophole, and then to still allow companies to self-affirm the safety of their ingredients
Right: I don't think the government should tell any of us what we can and cannot eat, and what additives we can and cannot consume... we have a right as competent adults to make that decision.
Whether obesity is a corporate/chemical problem or an individual-behavior problem
Left: This industry has chosen to design foods to be addictive and peddle food that is not food... They've actually eroded choice.
Right: Blaming corporate or social forces for bad decisions within an individual's control is a left-wing impulse. Americans need to hear a hard truth: they are eating themselves to death.

75 sources analyzed

The Boston Globe Scientific American Newsweek Reason Fox News The Daily Beast The Washington Post Yahoo! Search Reason National Review The Boston Globe NPR Associated Press Just The News Fox News Common Dreams NBC News Reason City Journal Common Dreams Los Angeles Times New York Post National Review Vox Los Angeles Times Reason Fox News Mother Jones NBC News Investor's Business Daily National Review The Boston Globe PBS NewsHour Just The News National Review Common Dreams The Washington Post New York Post City Journal The Boston Globe Los Angeles Times New York Post City Journal Vox NPR Just The News City Journal Mother Jones The Washington Post Richmond Times-Dispatch Fox News The Daily Beast NPR Just The News Common Dreams NPR Investor's Business Daily Vox PBS NewsHour New York Post The Daily Beast NBC News Richmond Times-Dispatch Vox The Washington Post Investor's Business Daily The Daily Beast PBS NewsHour Mother Jones Los Angeles Times Mother Jones NBC News MSNBC PBS NewsHour MSNBC

Perspectivity reads the coverage — not just who published it.

Read the full interactive analysis →