Nutrition experts urge RFK Jr. to release a federal definition of ultraprocessed foods

What it means

Public health experts are urging Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to issue a formal federal definition of ultraprocessed foods (UPFs). Currently, no official U.S. government definition exists, which hinders consistent dietary guidelines, food labeling, and research into the health effects of heavily processed foods.

Accuracy & sourcesSourced

The claim is based on a report by PBS NewsHour, a reputable secondary source. It likely reflects a letter or public statement from a group of experts, making the basic fact of the urge highly reliable. Specifics about the experts and the exact definition requested would be in the full article.

How new

This appears to be genuinely new reporting, with no indication of resurfacing older material.

Go deeper

• STAT News — first to publish