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U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the Trump administration was preparing to “take action” on a petition to review the safety of ultra-processed ingredients such as high-fructose corn syrup, but stopped short of calling for new regulations on the packaged food industry.
Kennedy appeared on “60 Minutes” and said the administration plans to consider citizen petitions. Former FDA Commissioner Dr. David Kessler Last August, we had to reevaluate the safety of processed refined carbohydrates, some of the most commonly used ingredients in industrial food manufacturing.
Kessler argued that new scientific information proves that these ingredients should not be allowed under the FDA’s “generally recognized as safe” system, or expedited approval process. Kennedy was also investigated..
In response to Kessler’s petition, Kennedy said on “60 Minutes”: “We’re going to take action.”
“The question he (Kessler) is asking is one the FDA should have been asking a long time ago,” Kennedy said.
Kessler’s petition compared the food industry to the tobacco sector, saying ultra-processed ingredients are designed to be addictive. Kessler wrote that malnutrition is an epidemic that “rivals smoking in its harm to human health.”
Kennedy made the fight against ultra-processed foods a focus of his “Make America Healthy Again” movement, calling sugar and other ingredients a “poison” that should be removed from the food supply. He also advocated for reform of the GRAS process, with the Department of Health and Human Services proposing a rule last December that would: Requires businesses to file notices. When trying to approve an ingredient through the system.
But much of Kennedy’s ambitious agenda on food faces legal challenges, including potential action on GRAS. federal court Reigns in 2021 Significant changes to the GRAS framework require congressional action.
As a result, Kennedy and the FDA focused primarily on voluntary action and consumer education. The Health Secretary has been a fierce defender of public policy. new eating guidelinesAsking consumers to eat “real food” and avoid processed products.
Kennedy reiterated these sentiments in an interview with “60 Minutes.” “We’re not saying we’re going to regulate ultra-processed foods,” he said. “Our job is to make sure everyone understands what they’re getting and to get the information out to the public.”
