Kennedy Pushes FDA to Revisit Safety Label for Ultra-Processed Foods

What Happened

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the Food and Drug Administration will respond to a petition urging it to revisit how ultra-processed foods are regulated. This includes the long-standing “Generally Recognized as Safe” standard, otherwise known as GRAS.

The petition, led by former FDA Commissioner David A. Kessler, calls on the agency to reassess whether certain sweeteners and highly refined ingredients should continue to qualify as safe under current rules. It has long been argued that the GRAS framework allows companies to self-affirm the safety of some ingredients. That can happen without going through a more rigorous, modern review process.

Kennedy did not announce immediate regulatory changes or specific bans. Instead, he indicated that the Food and Drug Administration will examine the concerns raised and consider whether the safety standards for ultra-processed food ingredients need updating.

Ultra-processed foods now account for more than half of Americans’ daily calorie intake. This is according to federal data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Why It Matters

The GRAS designation was originally designed to streamline approval for ingredients widely accepted as safe based on scientific consensus. Over time, many believe that the system has become too flexible. It allows food manufacturers significant leeway in determining the safety of additives before they appear on grocery shelves.

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Ultra-processed foods typically contain industrial formulations of refined grains, added sugars, oils, emulsifiers, and preservatives. They are engineered for shelf life, taste, and convenience. Research in recent years has linked high consumption of these products to obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic conditions.

If regulators decide to revisit the GRAS status of certain ingredients, it would be a consequential decision in how the federal government approaches food safety. Instead of focusing primarily on acute toxicity, regulators could place greater weight on long-term health outcomes and cumulative exposure.

That would move the conversation beyond whether an ingredient causes immediate harm. It would shift toward whether it contributes to chronic disease patterns over time.

Although the current system allows companies to make GRAS determinations internally in some cases, a stricter review process could require more public disclosure, independent oversight, and updated scientific evaluation.

How It Affects You

For American consumers, the impact will gradually change what fills the center aisles of the grocery store. If certain additives or sweeteners are forced back under review or lose their automatic safe status, manufacturers would have to rethink their formulas.

Some products might quietly swap out ingredients. Others could shrink their ingredient lists. In a few cases, items could disappear altogether if reformulation is too expensive or complicated.

While there is no sweeping ban or immediate crackdown right now, the FDA is in a review phase. It is responding to the petition and weighing its options. Still, the fact that federal health officials are publicly revisiting the GRAS system signals a shift in tone. Ultra-processed food is no longer just a dietary talking point. It is becoming a regulatory issue.

If stricter oversight follows, companies facing more rigorous safety reviews would likely spend more on testing, documentation, and compliance. Those costs do not exist in isolation. They often find their way into product pricing or influence how products are marketed and positioned. Clearer standards could give consumers more confidence that ingredients have been evaluated with modern science. Not assumptions made decades ago.

The fight now turns on the simple question of what “safe” means in today’s food system. Ultra-processed products make up more than half of the average American’s daily calories. Yet the GRAS framework was built decades ago, when food manufacturing looked very different.

Regulators must decide whether a system designed for a narrower range of additives still fits an industry built on complex, engineered ingredients. Their decision will not only affect what appears on labels. It will also shape how seriously the federal government intends to link food regulation with long-term public health.

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