As the United States confronts an escalating wave of diet-related chronic illness, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has placed ultra-processed foods—commonly referred to as UPFs—at the center of its expanding regulatory and scientific agenda. The agency’s emerging initiatives reflect mounting concern among federal health officials, researchers, and policymakers about the widespread consumption of highly processed, calorie-dense, and nutritionally depleted foods that now dominate the American diet.

According to data cited by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an estimated 70% of the U.S. food supply is composed of products widely classified as ultra-processed. These foods, which range from packaged snacks and sweetened beverages to reformulated ready-to-eat meals and industrially produced baked goods, undergo multiple stages of refinement, chemical modification, and additive incorporation. The FDA notes that children receive more than 60% of their daily calories from these products, a statistic that has intensified federal scrutiny.

The public-health implications are significant. Researchers have drawn extensive correlations between high UPF consumption and an array of negative health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and certain forms of cancer. For the FDA, the rising prevalence of preventable chronic illness has become a regulatory priority—one linked directly to the agency’s expanding efforts to reshape the nation’s dietary landscape.

While scientific literature on ultra-processed foods has grown dramatically over the last decade, the FDA emphasizes that research gaps remain substantial. The agency notes that the mechanisms through which UPFs may contribute to disease—whether through nutritional imbalance, added sugars, sodium, chemical additives, altered gut microbiota, or metabolic disruption—require deeper, more targeted study.

To accelerate that research, the FDA announced in May 2025 the creation of a major joint initiative with the National Institutes of Health (NIH): the Nutrition Regulatory Science Program. Through this partnership, federal scientists are pooling resources to examine the biological, behavioral, and epidemiological variables associated with UPF consumption, with particular attention to the long-term health consequences for both adults and children.

The FDA describes the program as a “regulatory science catalyst” designed to strengthen the evidence base that informs food labeling, public guidance, and potential future interventions. The initial phase of the program includes multi-year clinical studies, behavioral-nutrition trials, and systematic analyses of dietary patterns. Officials at the FDA have stated that the program’s findings are expected to guide future policy aimed at refining dietary recommendations and identifying strategies to reduce population-level exposure to UPFs.

One of the most immediate challenges facing the federal government is the absence of a standardized definition for “ultra-processed foods,” a term widely used in scientific literature but inconsistently applied across industries, institutions, and regulatory bodies.

Recognizing this gap, the FDA has partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop a uniform federal definition of UPFs—a move expected to have far-reaching implications for policy, labeling, and nutritional guidance.

On July 24, 2025, the FDA and USDA jointly issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public, academic, and industry input on what factors should be considered in establishing a regulatory definition. The RFI specifically solicits data on ingredients, processing methods, additives, nutrient profiles, and the technological or chemical transformations that distinguish UPFs from minimally processed or whole foods.

FDA officials have stated that formalizing a definition will enable federal agencies to adopt consistent, science-based approaches to regulation, public communication, and nutritional program design. The agency further notes that a standardized definition is essential for enhancing transparency, strengthening dietary guidelines, and developing targeted public-health interventions.

In December 2024—prior to the launch of the Nutrition Regulatory Science Program—the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the NIH co-hosted the Nutrition Regulatory Science Workshop, a major event that emphasized the crucial role of data-driven evidence in shaping food-policy decisions.

The workshop included a dedicated session on ultra-processed foods, where researchers, clinicians, public-health officials, and industry representatives examined the scientific basis for classifying UPFs and discussed the implications for regulatory frameworks. According to the FDA, the event served as an important platform to highlight the gaps in current knowledge, identify research priorities, and explore how federal agencies might better utilize nutrition science to protect public health.

The workshop further underscored the FDA’s commitment to engage with a broad spectrum of experts, reflecting the agency’s view that the nation’s UPF problem requires an interdisciplinary approach. Presenters reviewed data on additives, emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners, industrial processing techniques, and the cumulative effects of food reformulation on metabolic and cardiovascular health. Officials at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that the dialogue generated at the workshop would be directly integrated into the agency’s long-term research roadmap.

The FDA has emphasized that addressing the health risks associated with ultra-processed foods is not merely a scientific endeavor but a policy imperative aligned with a broader national strategy. The Department of Health and Human Services, under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has prioritized dietary reform as a central component of the initiative known as “Make America Healthy Again.”

Within this context, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken multiple steps to strengthen its influence on national dietary patterns:

1. Enhancing consumer information:

The FDA is exploring updates to food labeling standards to provide clearer distinctions between levels of food processing. Although no formal proposals have yet been introduced, agency officials have acknowledged that such changes are under consideration.

2. Supporting dietary-quality improvements in federal nutrition programs:

The FDA is working with partner agencies to evaluate how UPFs appear within school-meal programs, supplemental nutrition initiatives, and federal food distributions.

3. Facilitating industry engagement:

The agency has encouraged food manufacturers to participate voluntarily in the RFI process and to collaborate on research models that examine ingredient reformulation, additive reduction, and alternative processing methods.

4. Strengthening public-health communications:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to issue consumer guidance on improving dietary choices and reducing reliance on ultra-processed foods, while avoiding prescriptive or punitive approaches.

These actions, while incremental, form a key part of the FDA’s expanding strategy to confront the dietary forces contributing to America’s chronic-disease burden.

The FDA’s heightened attention to ultra-processed foods comes at a moment of profound urgency. For decades, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and obesity has surged across the United States. The FDA has repeatedly noted that diet is a central driver of these outcomes, particularly as UPFs have become a staple of both convenience-driven consumer habits and the modern American food industry.

Public-health experts argue that reducing UPF consumption could significantly ease the national disease burden, improve life expectancy, and reduce medical expenditures. The FDA’s ongoing work suggests that policymakers increasingly view UPFs as an issue of structural public health—not merely a matter of personal choice.

By intensifying research, clarifying definitions, hosting scientific workshops, and advancing policy frameworks, the FDA has positioned itself at the forefront of a nationwide effort to understand and mitigate the health consequences of ultra-processed foods. These steps, aligned with the broader mission articulated by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., signal a continuation of federal efforts to reshape the American diet and promote healthier population-level outcomes.

As the FDA pursues its multi-year agenda, the agency maintains that addressing ultra-processed foods will remain essential to achieving long-term progress in reversing chronic disease trends and fostering a healthier, more nutrition-conscious nation.