Over 80 Nutrition Experts Urge White House to Release Ultra-Processed Food Definition

The Arising reported on October 12, citing a Wall Street Journal report we could not confirm, that the White House had stalled Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s push for such a definition. What is new is a petition from the scientific community. According to STAT, the definition was due to be unveiled in August, but the event was canceled at the last minute under pressure from major food companies.

The petition comes from the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University, led by cardiologist Dariush Mozaffarian. According to STAT, the institute was scheduled to meet the Office of Management and Budget on Friday to present it. Mozaffarian spoke at the Department of Health and Human Services event where the definition was originally slated to be announced.

Mozaffarian told STAT that HHS wants the definition out before the upcoming midterm elections. "This is part of what the Make America Healthy Again movement that many independent voters and swing voters voted for," he said. "I think HHS sees this as a win for the administration before the election to show they're taking real action."

The industry view reaches us through Mozaffarian. He told STAT that the Consumer Brands Association, a food industry trade group, has argued that a proposed definition will raise food prices. We did not see the group's own statement. Mozaffarian called that position "absurd and false." He said it could still make the White House nervous with the midterms close.

For shoppers, the stakes are practical. There is still no official federal answer to what counts as ultra-processed food. A government definition could give everyone the same starting point when talking about these products. The STAT excerpt we reviewed does not say what the proposed definition contains, or whether it would change food labels. Those questions remain open.

The disagreement is also not about the science alone. It is a test of whether health officials or industry concerns about cost carry more weight inside the White House before the election. That framing is our interpretation, not something STAT's excerpt states.

What to watch next

Whether the Office of Management and Budget responds to the petition, and whether HHS sets a new date to release the definition.

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