Ultra-processed food (UPF) labels
On February 27, US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast to discuss his last year at the helm of US Health and Human Services (HHS), as well as the future of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. One major change discussed: Ultra-processed food (UPF) labels.
“We’re not gonna take processed foods away from people. I think we’re going to change the amount of processed foods… By April we will have a federal definition of ultra-processed foods,” said Health Secretary Kennedy Jr. “We’re gonna do front-of-package food labeling… Maybe a green light, a yellow light, or a red light telling you whether or not it’s going to be good for you.”
SNAP
In addition to the upcoming federal definition for UPFs, other topics of discussion ranged from fraud at the expense of the US government and its taxpayers, impacts from previously released dietary guidelines, menus for school programs and for US military personnel, and reform around the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The dietary guidelines will be the catalyst for changes across many government-funded programs, according to the HHS leader who said that the new federal pyramid of health will be the basis for SNAP, school lunches, and military menus.
“We have 20 states now that have applied for SNAP waivers… [In those states] you can no longer get candy on SNAP,” said RFK Jr. “You can no longer get soda… That was 18% of SNAP purchases… We were taking the… poorest kids in our country… giving them taxpayer-funded diabetes, and then… [they] end up on Medicaid… So, we’re paying to give them the disease, and we’re paying to treat them for the rest of their lives… We’re changing that… One of the things that [US Agriculture Secretary Rollins] is doing… she’s going to require that any retailer that accepts food stamps has to double the amount of real food in their establishment… We’re working with farmers, we’re working with entrepreneurs to make sure every American can get high quality food that is affordable.”
RFK Jr. claims that “real food” doesn’t cost more money. Instead, smart procurement will matter going forward, he said.
Rogan and Kennedy also talked about the Trump administration’s goal to lower drug prices for Americans, as well as the removal process of artificial dyes from food products.
“We were able to convene the [food] industry and talk to them about [dyes],” said Kennedy who noted that the companies previously did not have approved options for natural dyes.
“Marty Makary… at FDA has now fast-tracked it—this year seven new [vegetable-based dyes]. So, we’re working with the industry to make sure they have the [vegetable and mineral-based] dyes, and they’re supposed to get rid of all the [petroleum-based] dyes by the end of this year.”
As of February 27, officials from the retailer Target said the store will only carry cereals made without certified synthetic colors, reported Reuters.
Mobile medical records
What’s more, RFK Jr. referenced plans to give every American a mobile copy of their medical records.
“You’re going to be able to sync [medical records] with food purchases apps… You’ll be able to go into a grocery store, and the app will tell you… this choice is bad for you… There’s an app like that, Yuka now. But there’s a lot of them coming online now… That is gonna change the food culture in our country because the [food companies are] already changing their ingredients to get better scores from the Yuka app.”
All in all, it seems that as Kennedy’s team at HHS and beyond works with industry leaders, there will be more incentives for food and beverage makers to create healthier products, according to the podcast conversation.
Back in September 2025, Kennedy, Rollins, and members of the MAHA Commission hosted a press conference to release the MAHA Report and implementation strategy, reported Expana about the outline to remove government subsidies for sugary drinks, reform food product ingredient lists, provide guidance for food labels, and more.
Updated regulations as well as consumer preferences have led to product reformulations, revised marketing strategies, and relabeling costs for manufacturers. Combined with the pervasive use of GLP-1 drugs, there has been a stronger consumer shift toward more minimally processed foods.
Image source: Getty
Written by Ryan Gallagher
