HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that a federal definition for ultra-processed foods is moving through the White House approval process and could be released within months, a step he described as essential before any meaningful regulation of those products can begin.
Kennedy confirmed that the definition is currently under review at the Office of Management and Budget, the final clearinghouse before major regulatory actions are published. “In the next few months, we are going to publish a definition of ultra-processed food,” he said, adding that the administration anticipates “a final publication over the next couple of months.”
Why the Definition Matters
Kennedy has argued that without a clear, agreed-upon federal definition, regulators lack the foundation needed to write enforceable rules targeting ultra-processed products. The FDA posted a request for information on the topic last July, drawing more than 5,000 public comments — a signal of how much consumer and industry attention the question commands.
Once a definition is in place, the agency would be positioned to move forward with labeling requirements and potentially other regulatory steps. Kennedy has framed the effort as central to the broader Make America Healthy Again agenda, which holds that the prevalence of ultra-processed food in the American diet is a key driver of the nation’s chronic disease burden.
Label Format Under Review
Alongside the definition push, the Trump administration is reconsidering the front-of-package labeling approach that the Biden administration proposed. The prior rule called for a black-and-white box on the front of food packaging displaying “low,” “medium,” or “high” ratings for saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar — a straightforward but limited format.
The current administration has moved away from that model, with Kennedy indicating a preference for a color-coded “red light, green light, yellow light” system. He argued that such a system would make grocery shopping easier and faster for American families trying to make healthier choices.
The history of front-of-pack labeling is long and contested. The Center for Science in the Public Interest first petitioned the FDA for mandatory front-of-package nutrition disclosure back in 2006. The food industry responded by promoting a voluntary “Facts Up Front” system, which effectively stalled the regulatory push. CSPI filed a second petition in 2022 calling for mandatory labeling, which ultimately produced the proposed rule finalized in 2025 under the Biden administration.
Reproposal Could Be Required
If the Trump administration wants to go significantly beyond what that 2025 rule proposed — such as adopting a color-coded system rather than the black-and-white box — the regulatory process would need to restart. Sarah Sorscher, CSPI’s director of regulatory affairs, noted that any rule that goes beyond the scope of the existing 2025 proposal would require the FDA to repropose it and open a new public comment period. That procedural requirement could add considerable time to the timeline for any final labeling rule reaching store shelves.
The reginfo.gov dashboard, which tracks rules moving through OMB review, showed no ultra-processed food definition listed as of mid-June, though Kennedy’s comments suggest the review is active.
Idaho and the Broader MAHA Context
For Idaho families and food producers, the outcome of these labeling and definition decisions carries practical weight. Idaho’s agricultural economy is built heavily on commodity crops, potatoes, dairy, and beef — products that tend to fare well under nutrient-focused labeling that distinguishes whole foods from highly engineered products. A clear federal definition of ultra-processed food could affect how Idaho-made packaged goods are marketed nationally and what information appears on their packaging.
The labeling debate also intersects with ongoing federal scrutiny of federal nutrition programs like SNAP, where questions about what foods should qualify for public subsidy are increasingly tied to the same ultra-processed food discussion Kennedy is helping to lead. Kennedy’s announcement suggests that after years of petitions, comment periods, and stalled rulemaking, the regulatory machinery may finally be moving — though the path to a final rule with teeth remains unsettled.