HHS, FDA, USDA to Create Federal Definition for Ultra-Processed Foods

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) have announced plans to create a federally-recognized, standard definition for ultra-processed foods, in order to more effectively address diet-related chronic disease.

The agencies issued a joint Request for Information (RFI) to gather information and data that will help develop the definition, helping to provide transparency to consumers about the foods they eat.

“Ultra-processed foods are driving our chronic disease epidemic,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “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.”

A standard definition of ultra-processed foods will support efforts to recognize that their overconsumption is one of the driving factors of chronic diseases, according to FDA. Further, it will allow for consistency in policy.

“President Trump has made it a priority to improve health outcomes for American families and communities. And this Request for Information is yet another step in seeking commonsense ways to foster improved and more informed consumer choice. A unified, widely understood definition for ultra-processed foods is long overdue and I look forward to continued partnership with Secretary Kennedy to make American healthy again. As this process unfolds, I will make certain the great men and women of the agriculture value chain are part of the conversation,” said Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins.

“I am delighted to lead this critical effort at the FDA,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD. “The threats posed to our health by foods often considered ultra-processed are clear and convincing, making it imperative that we work in lockstep with our federal partners to advance, for the first time ever, a uniform definition of ultra-processed foods.”

Estimates suggest that 70% of packaged products in the U.S. food supply are ultra-processed, and that children get 60% of their calories from such foods, FDA reported. Dozens of scientific studies have established connections between the consumption of foods considered ultra-processed and adverse health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity, and neurological disorders.