Kennedy Talks Tough On Ultraprocessed Food, Ducks Big Crackdown

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he is ready to “act” on a high‑profile citizens petition targeting core ingredients in ultraprocessed foods, but he is just as clear that sweeping new federal rules are not on the table right now. In a nationally watched sit‑down on CBS’s 60 Minutes, he sketched out an approach focused on transparency and science, not an immediate regulatory hammer, pulling a long‑running food fight into prime time.

On camera, Kennedy pledged, “We will act on — on David Kessler’s petition,” then repeatedly drew a bright line between internal administrative moves and issuing new regulations. As CBS News reported, the exchange showcased both the administration’s appetite for revisiting ultraprocessed ingredients and lingering skepticism from some public‑health experts about Kennedy’s broader record on health science.

What David Kessler Asked the FDA

Dr. David A. Kessler, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, filed a citizens petition in August 2025 urging the agency to revoke the "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) designation for a category of processed refined carbohydrates and related ingredients. The filing zeroes in on industrial sweeteners and starches, including high‑fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, dextrose and similar refined flours and fillers that have become staples in packaged foods. The petition and its recommendations are detailed in coverage by Food Business News.

How GRAS Works And What Revocation Could Mean

The GRAS system lets companies use many ingredients without premarket FDA approval when qualified experts agree those uses are "generally recognized" as safe. The FDA notes that GRAS determinations can rest on scientific procedures or on a long history of common use in food. If GRAS status is pulled, those substances land back in the stricter food‑additive approval lane.

On paper, a citizen petition like Kessler’s triggers a 180‑day response clock. In practice, agency reviews often drag on far longer, and experts warn that both the review and any follow‑up rulemaking could stretch over many months or more, as public‑health analyses have pointed out. That lag time is part of why Kennedy’s choice of words on television is being parsed so closely.

Politics, Industry Pushback And Earlier Moves

The New York Times has reported that the administration has often leaned toward cooperation with food manufacturers instead of heavy regulation, a political reality that helps explain the measured tone from the Department of Health and Human Services. At the same time, the department has already floated significant changes to how ingredients are reviewed.

In a press release last March, HHS said Kennedy had instructed the FDA to explore rulemaking that could shut down the self‑affirmed GRAS pathway and increase transparency around ingredient reviews. The department described that move as an attempt to close a loophole that lets new substances enter the food supply without public scrutiny.

Legal Implications

If the FDA ultimately yanks GRAS status for widely used refined carbohydrates, a huge swath of packaged foods could suddenly become technically adulterated until companies either reformulate or secure formal approvals. That scenario would open the door to enforcement actions and a flood of lawsuits.

The legal stakes are not theoretical. In December, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu sued multiple manufacturers, accusing them of engineering and marketing addictive ultraprocessed products, a case observers see as part of the broader backdrop for this fight, as CBS News reported. Regulatory and legal analysts say even tentative FDA steps could force costly reformulations, trigger labeling overhauls and invite classroom‑style litigation over how ingredients and health claims are presented. Bergeson & Campbell has mapped out several of those possible legal pathways.

The next key signal will be whether the FDA launches a formal scientific review of Kessler’s claims and whether HHS or the White House is willing to back anything tougher than guidance documents and public reporting. For now, Kennedy’s on‑air promise to “act” and Kessler’s August 2025 petition have crystallized the stakes in the ultraprocessed food debate, even as the pace and punch of any eventual changes remain up in the air, according to The New York Times.