RFK Jr.'s Next Big Target Is The Ultra-processed Food Industry

With everything being change din the health sector under the tag of "Make America Healthy Again", for Trump administrations no quest is bigger than targeting the ultra processed foods for "MAHA".

Robert F Kennedy Jr., who is the nation's new health secretary, has cited "highly chemically processed foods" as the main culprit behind an epidemic of chronic diseases in the US. Among them includes ailments like obesity, diabetes and autoimmune disorders.

RFK Jr. has also vowed to work to remove such foods from federal programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or the SNAP. He called these foods to be "poisoning" people, particularly the children. "I will do everything in my power to put health of Americans back on track," he said.

Speculations remain whether the key to the goal would be a total erasure of such food or to make sure that consumers understand basic facts about ultra-processed foods and the role it plays in daily meal. As per a 2021 study titled Ultra-Processed Foods and Incident Cardiovascular Disease in the Framingham Offspring Study, ultra-processed foods make up about 60% of the US diets. For kids and teens, the range is even higher, about two-thirds of what is consumed. These include cereals at breakfast or a frozen pizza at dinner and in-between snacks like potato chips, sodas, and ice creams.

Why Are Ultra-processed foods not a great choice?

Food manufacturers have argued that processing foods actually boost food safety and supplies and offers a cheap and a more convenient way to provide a diverse and nutritious diet. According to a 2023 study published in Nature Communications, titled Machine learning prediction of the degree of food processing, ultra-processed food makes up to 70% of the US food supply.

The claim by the food manufacturers do not hold ground when tested. As a BMJ study from 2024, titled Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses states, "Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorder and mortality outcomes."

The study analyzed 14 meta-analysis studies and 45 pooled analysis around ultra-processed foods to draw the conclusion. The biggest concern about ultra-processed food as per the study is that it can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart diseases, and common mental disorder. This is concerning because earlier too ultra-processed foods have been linked to depression and dementia, apart from the physical impact on the body. Many research, including a recent one also suggests that eating such foods can increase the risk of early death.

What are ultra-processed foods?

Most foods are processed whether it is by freezing, grinding, fermented, pasteurized or through other means. In 2009, Brazilian epidemiologist Carlos Monterio and his colleagues proposed a system that classifies food based on the among of processing it undergoes, and not by the nutrients it contains.

Kevin Hall, a researcher specializing in metabolism and diet at the National Institutes of Health, explains that the highest tier of the four-tier scale includes foods produced through industrial processes using ingredients like additives, colors, and preservatives—components that can't be easily replicated in a home kitchen.