(Bloomberg) —
Three US agencies in July announced plans to formally open debate over how to define the term “ultra-processed” food, which is sure to prompt fierce lobbying from companies eager to exempt their products from the distinction.
The Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture are jointly asking for public feedback regarding the establishment of a uniform definition for ultra-processed food.
“A unified, widely understood definition for ultra-processed foods is long overdue,” US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in a news release.
States have already begun to debate the issue on their own, increasing the urgency for a federal standard. For example, California lawmakers are considering a bill that would phase out ultra-processed food in schools by 2035.
Ultra-processed foods typically involve some industrial steps or ingredients, unlike whole foods such as fruits and vegetables. Many packaged foods are generally considered ultra-processed.
A US government definition of what ultra-processed foods are could lead to changes in how products are labeled and how research dollars are allocated. The full details of the so-called “request for information” from the public will be released Thursday, the agencies said.
Many in the food industry have worried about how broad the definition will be. Some are urging the Trump administration to consider whether a processed food contains beneficial nutrients so that flavored yogurt, for example, is not lumped together with candy.
The next version of the Dietary Guidelines is expected to urge Americans to eat less ultra-processed food when it is released this year. But implementing that recommendation will be tricky without an agreed-upon definition of what that category includes, particularly for schools, which are required to serve meals aligned with the federal dietary guidelines.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has encouraged people to eat more whole foods.
“Ultra-processed foods are driving our chronic disease epidemic,” Kennedy said in a written statement.
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