Robert F Kennedy Jr has revealed a major shake-up coming for foods at grocery stores nationwide.
The Health and Human Services Secretary said the FDA would publish its first-ever definition of ultra-processed foods next month, in a move that could prompt manufacturers to change their recipes.
Speaking on the Joe Rogan Experience, the 72-year-old said this would then pave the way for front-of-pack nutrition labels that warn consumers about products high in fats, salts and other nutrients.
He said: ‘We’re not going to take processed foods away from people, but we’re going to… change the amount of processed foods.
‘By April, we will have a federal definition of ultra-processed foods [for the] first time in… history.
‘And, as soon as we do that, we’re going to do front-of-packaged food labeling. So, every food in your grocery store will have a label on it.
‘It’ll have maybe a green light, red light, or yellow light, telling you whether or not it’s going to be good for you.’
Robert F Kennedy Junior appeared on the Joe Rogan podcast to tell Americans about the coming update to food packaging
RFK Jr revealed no further details of the plan, but he has made no secret of his opposition to ‘big food’ — which he previously likened to ‘big tobacco’.
There is no set definition for ultra-processed foods, but it is generally understood to encompass a broad range of industrially processed foods that contain at least one ingredient not found in the standard kitchen.
Foods typically considered to be ultra-processed include soft drinks and packaged snacks such as chips, cookies and candies.
The CDC estimates that 55 percent of the average American diet is made up of ultra-processed food, while, among children and teenagers, this rises to 62 percent.
In the podcast, RFK Jr added: ‘I think we’re not going to change this overnight, but we’re going to change it pretty quickly.
‘And, if you want to be healthy, we’re going to give you the information to take control of your own health.’
His comments follow up on a proposal from the Biden administration in January last year, which also suggested adding nutrition labels to products.
In their proposal, they suggested a label, referred to as the Nutrition Info Box, that would be stamped on the front of food packages and detail the product’s levels of saturated fats, added sugars and sodium in one serving.
It would have indicated whether levels were ‘high’, ‘medium’ or ‘low’ in the product.
Shown above are two packages with the nutrition label proposed by the Biden administration. These are mock-up products
Shown above is an example of what the Biden administration proposed front-of-package nutrition label would have looked like
In January, RFK Jr published his new food pyramid, which encouraged Americans to eat more protein, vegetables and whole foods, while avoiding processed and ultra-processed foods where possible.
It said people should not eat highly processed packaged, prepared or ready-to-eat foods, naming chips, cookies and candies among those advised against.
It also urged Americans to avoid sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas and to limit consumption of foods that contain artificial flavors or dyes.
Several other countries have brought in color-coded nutrition labeling systems for foods, including the UK, where products have a front-of-package label detailing calories, fat, sugars, salt and saturated fat content per serving.
Several studies suggest the color-coded scheme leads to healthier food choices, but there is no concrete evidence that this also leads to lower obesity or chronic disease rates.
About 42 percent of Americans today are classified as obese, an increase from 10 percent in the 1950s, while 75 percent are struggling with a chronic underlying condition, according to official sources.
