OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
10:30 AM – Tuesday, February 17, 2026
In a CBS “60 Minutes” interview aired on Sunday with correspondent Bill Whitaker, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) announced a major regulatory pivot, signaling his intent to scrutinize the safety and prevalence of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in the American diet.
Kennedy argued that the current “industry-led” safety standards are fundamentally insufficient to protect public health, marking what could possibly be the most significant shift in nutritional policy in decades.
Central to Kennedy’s argument is the alarming statistic that ultra-processed foods — items characterized by high levels of additives, preservatives, and synthetic ingredients — now constitute roughly 50% of the average American’s caloric intake.
Kennedy further highlighted a growing public health crisis he described as a “deadly paradox.” He noted that the ubiquity of these foods has led to a population that is simultaneously obese and malnourished.
According to Kennedy, Americans are feeding their children substances that the human body wasn’t designed to recognize, reiterating that “we’re seeing in our population people who are obscenely obese and at the same time malnourished.”
The existing regulatory landscape is defined by the “Generally Recognized As Safe” (GRAS) designation, a category that encompasses a vast array of modern food additives.
Critics, spearheaded by the HHS secretary, have raised alarms regarding the inherent conflict of interest in this system, highlighting that the policy effectively grants corporations the power to self-certify the safety of their own ingredients.
This bypasses the rigorous, independent scrutiny of the FDA, allowing new substances to enter the consumer market without a mandatory, transparent federal audit.
Kennedy’s proposed agenda includes:
- Re-evaluating additives: A deep dive into the long-term metabolic effects of synthetic dyes, seed oils and artificial sweeteners.
- Transparency reform: Moving away from industry-funded safety studies in favor of independent, HHS-led research.
- Updating dietary guidelines: Shifting the focus from simple calorie counting to the chemical composition of food.
The health secretary’s comments come amid rising rates of chronic illnesses, including Type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which researchers increasingly link to high UPF consumption. Unlike minimally processed foods, UPFs often bypass natural satiety signals, leading to overconsumption and systemic inflammation.
| Food category | Examples | Health impact |
| Unprocessed | Fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat | High nutrient density – natural fiber. |
| Processed | Canned beans, salted nuts, standard white sandwich bread | Minimal additives for preservation. |
| Ultra-Processed | Soda, packaged snacks, sugary cereals | High in additives – linked to metabolic syndrome. |
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