The U.S. government announced on Monday two measures that could significantly change the oversight of the ingredients used by the food industry and the way authorities study ultra-processed foods, as part of the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) agenda of the Trump Administration.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., along with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Agriculture, proposed a requirement for manufacturers to notify authorities about certain ingredients they deem safe, as reported in a press release.
At the same time, the government progressed in the creation of the first federal definition of ultra-processed foods, a criterion that aims to unify research and serve as a foundation for future nutrition and public health policies.
The first of the measures aims to close a regulatory gap that dates back to 1958, when Congress established the category Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS).
The mechanism allows manufacturers to determine that certain substances are safe for use in food without necessarily having to notify the FDA in advance.
Kennedy argues that this system has created a significant blind spot for regulators for decades, to the extent that the FDA itself cannot accurately determine how many ingredients are currently present in the U.S. food supply.
The new proposal would change that situation by establishing mandatory notifications, expanding the public inventory of substances used in food, and creating a simplified procedure for reporting ingredients that are already on the market.
If approved definitively, companies would have to provide the FDA with information about substances that they have so far been able to consider safe through their own procedures.
"By proposing mandatory notifications for GRAS substances, we are addressing significant information gaps and providing the FDA with greater visibility regarding the substances entering the food supply," stated acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas.
The proposal will now enter a 120-day period for public comment before the authorities can move forward with a final regulation.
The second initiative addresses another issue that has gained increasing importance in the debate over food and chronic diseases in the United States: what should be considered exactly an ultraprocessed food.
Until now, the federal government lacked a standardized definition, which made it difficult to compare research and establish uniform criteria among different agencies.
The new definition was developed over a process of approximately 10 months, with participation from industry representatives, consumer organizations, researchers, and citizens.
The goal is not trivial. Kennedy stated that nearly 60% of the diet of Americans consists of ultra-processed foods, a proportion that rises to around 70% among children.
The Secretary of Health linked the high consumption of these products to his administration's concern about the rise of chronic diseases and noted that more than one in five American children suffers from obesity.
"We cannot reverse the epidemic of chronic diseases in the United States without transforming our food system," Kennedy stated.
The establishment of a federal definition, however, does not mean that the United States will automatically prohibit or restrict foods that are classified as ultra-processed.
Its initial purpose will be to establish a common framework that allows federal agencies to use the same criteria in investigations related to nutrition and health, and that could eventually serve as a reference for future regulatory decisions.
The two initiatives could have significant consequences for the food industry.
The requirement for GRAS notifications would mean that manufacturers must document and report on ingredients that they previously could determine for themselves as safe, a process that could increase costs and regulatory obligations for companies.
Kennedy also acknowledged that there are limits to what the administration can change solely through actions of the Executive Branch and urged Congress to pass legislation aimed at strengthening oversight of the food supply.
According to the secretary, HHS and the FDA are using the legal authorities they currently have, but additional tools will be necessary to make further progress.
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