Health officials blame ultra-processed foods for much of what ails America. But the first step in regulating is defining what, exactly, it is. Stakeholders are invited to comment.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long signaled his disdain for ultra-processed foods. This week the two agencies that regulate the nation’s food supply are starting to take action.

The first step: Defining what “ultra-processed food” even is.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture this week announced a joint request for information (RFI) to establish a uniform definition for ultra-processed foods. The RFI is publicly available in the Federal Register through Sep. 23.

“Ultra-processed foods are driving our chronic disease epidemic,” said Kennedy in a statement. “We must act boldly to eliminate the root causes of chronic illness and improve the health of our food supply. Defining ultra-processed foods with a clear, uniform standard will empower us even more to Make America Healthy Again.”

An already published report, known as the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Assessment, declares that overconsumption of ultra-processed foods is one of the driving factors of a childhood chronic disease crisis.

Despite the lack of definition, HHS estimates that 70% of packaged products in the U.S. food supply are foods considered ultra-processed.

Children get more than 60% of calories from such foods, the agency said (though the MAHA Assessment puts that estimate at “nearly 70%”). That exposure results in health issues like cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity and neurological disorders, the agency said—though the MAHA report also blames environmental chemicals, lack of exercise, chronic stress and overmedicalization.

While the criticism of ultra-processed foods has focused primarily on packaged goods, the issue could also impact the restaurant industry.

But it depends in part on what foods are considered to be ultra-processed.

The MAHA report points the finger at the rise of industrialization.

Ultra-processed foods as a category are described as “industrially manufactured products made up of several ingredients,” including additives “of no culinary use,” like flavors, colorants, non-sugar sweeteners and emulsifiers.

Foods commonly considered to be ultra-processed include soft drinks and packaged snacks, for example. The MAHA report also cites products like cakes, cookies, refined breads and candies, as well as products made with high-fructose corn syrup, and seed oils.

Some states have defined the term to include things like stabilizers, thickeners, coloring or flavoring agents (Pennsylvania); or foods that have gone through certain processing, like hydrogenation of oil (Massachusetts); or foods with a certain number of ingredients (Florida, Louisiana and several other states).

The National Institutes of Health in June described ultra-processed foods as “ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat manufactured products that often use ingredients not found in home cooking.” In June, a study was launched to measure ultra-processed food consumption by measuring compounds in blood and urine samples.

It’s not clear where the focus on ultra-processed food will lead, but it could impact the regulation of school lunch and food-assistance programs.

In fact, the RFI poses the question of what the advantages and challenges of classifying ultra-processed foods might be, including whether foods that contain such ingredients should be labeled, or if certain manufacturing processes—like fermentation, freezing or extrusion— should be disclosed.

The National Restaurant Association said the RFI was being reviewed to determine whether to provide comment.

Original Article:
[H/T] RestaurantBusinessOnline.com