RFK Jr. says ultra-processed foods definition is coming
The federal in-depth explanation will arrive in April, he says.
In an interview on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) says a federal definition for “ultra-processed foods” (UPFs) is coming as soon as April. He also alluded to the possibility of requiring new front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labels for food products.
“By April, [FDA] will have a federal definition of ultra-processed foods for the first time in history,” Secretary Kennedy tells Mr. Rogan. “And as soon as we do that, we’re going to do front-of-package food labeling.”
Secretary Kennedy suggested this nutrition labeling could be designed with a “red light, yellow light, green light” graphic indicating a food's level of healthfulness, and would consider “all of the ingredients” in a product.
Shaking up FDA's previously proposed FOP nutrition label plans
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been mulling over FOP labeling since the Biden Administration, having published a proposed rule in January 2025. This previously proposed FOP nutrition label, referred to as the Nutrition Info box, would detail and interpret the relative amounts of saturated fats, added sugars, and sodium in a serving of food, indicating whether the levels of each of the three nutrients are “high, medium, or low.”
The FDA under the current Trump Administration has not progressed the proposed rule or made any official indication of whether it intends to implement the Nutrition Info box as planned. Secretary Kennedy’s remarks on the Joe Rogan Experience suggest the agency may be considering a new approach to FOP nutrition labeling.
"We're not going to change this overnight, but we're going to change it pretty quickly," Secretary Kennedy says.
Federal Consideration of a UPF Definition Under the Trump Administration
Secretary Kennedy is known for his critical view of processed foods and added ingredients, a tenet of the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda; the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans released under the Trump Administration in January specifically call out “highly processed foods” as a category to avoid.
It has been known that FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have been considering a statutory definition for UPFs since July 2025, when the agencies opened a joint request for information (RFI). As evidenced by comments received on the RFI, the concept of establishing a federal definition for UPFs is controversial; while some believe the move would improve public health, others say the use of the term UPFs villainizes processing without nuance and that the regulation of UPFs as a category could have unintended negative consequences.
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