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Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Health
- Boston Globe
What makes a food ultraprocessed? The FDA is about to weigh in.
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Dr. Marty Makary, the commissioner of the FDA, said he expected the definition would encourage companies to label foods as 'non-ultraprocessed' to entice customers, similar to how food manufacturers market their products as being free from added sugars. Advertisement 'We do not see ultraprocessed foods as foods to be banned,' he said. 'We see them as foods to be defined so that markets can compete based on health.' The idea that consumers may go out of their way to avoid these items reflects growing concerns about the potential harms of ultraprocessed foods, which include many breakfast cereals, instant noodles, protein bars, meal-replacement shakes, flavored yogurts, hot dogs and more. Scientists have increasingly linked ultraprocessed foods to poor health outcomes, such as Type 2 diabetes, some types of cancers, and heart and gastrointestinal issues. Advertisement Kyle Diamantas, the deputy commissioner of the FDA's food division, said that there were some 'obvious areas' the agency would consider when crafting its definition, including synthetic dyes, emulsifiers and preservatives. 'We don't have in our home kitchens these new novel ingredients that help a Twinkie stay on the shelf for six years or whatever it might be,' Diamantas said. He also suggested that a standard definition of ultraprocessed foods could be used for regulating the meals served to members of the military and at prisons and Veterans Affairs hospitals. The government will almost certainly face pushback from some corners of the food industry, which has relied on preservatives and artificial ingredients to produce cheap, convenient foods at a large scale. Related : Any definition the government comes up with would be 'hotly contested' by the food industry, said Marion Nestle, an emerita professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. By defining ultraprocessed foods, the government will also weigh in on issues that have divided nutrition experts and confused consumers: Do plant-based meats and milks belong in the same category as sodas and candy bars? And are all ultraprocessed foods inherently unhealthy? Some, like various yogurts and whole-grain breads and cereals, contain valuable nutrients and have been associated with positive health outcomes. The broad term can 'demonize' foods that aren't necessarily harming consumers, said Maya Vadiveloo, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Rhode Island. Advertisement The federal push follows recent efforts in a handful of states to restrict ultraprocessed foods sold and served in schools. In Arizona, lawmakers defined ultraprocessed foods only as those with certain food additives, like artificial dyes. But additives may only be one part of what makes certain ultraprocessed foods unhealthy, said Brenda Davy, a professor of nutrition at Virginia Tech — and if the federal definition follows Arizona's example, it would likely miss a great number of ultraprocessed foods, she said, like a sugar-loaded cereal that does not use certain food colorings. 'If their focus is too narrow, it may be limited in how much that might improve health,' she said. Still, a federal definition would be a 'big step forward,' Nestle said. It could pave the way for new types of warning labels, or for the government to regulate whether food makers could continue marketing ultraprocessed foods to children, she said. 'All of those are up for grabs if there's a definition,' she said. She added: 'It matters a lot.' This article originally appeared in .
Reuters
15-05-2025
- Health
- Reuters
FDA plans to review chemicals in US food supply, official says
ROSEMONT, Illinois, May 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to step up safety reviews on chemicals in foods, including one widely used as a preservative in products containing fats, said Kyle Diamantas, the agency's top food official, on Thursday. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose agency oversees the FDA, has pledged to tackle chronic illnesses by overhauling the U.S. diet. He has pushed for bans on synthetic food colors and encouraged fast-food chains to switch to beef tallow instead of seed oils for French fries. The FDA, which has suffered mass layoffs under President Donald Trump, will update a list of chemicals that will be top priorities for reviews, said Diamantas, acting deputy commissioner for human foods. "Historically FDA has been somewhat reactionary when it comes to reviewing chemicals in the food supply," he said at a food safety conference outside Chicago. "The goal is to move to a proactive process to ensure that the chemicals in our food remain safe." The FDA will prioritize reviews of chemicals including butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT); butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA); and azodicarbonamide (ADA), Diamantas said. BHT is one of the most commonly used antioxidants in foods containing fats, according to the health department, opens new tab. The FDA plans to release a scheme for highlighting other chemicals for reviews that will be available for public feedback this month, Diamantas said. Chemicals may be assessed based on consumers' concerns or on other countries' data and regulatory actions, he said. Even as food chemicals and nutrition have received a lot of attention, Diamantas told the conference that the FDA is still committed to microbiological food safety, which is the agency's division with the most employees and funding. Kennedy said on Wednesday that the "central focus" of the FDA and National Institutes of Health will be on studying ultra-processed foods, sugars and food additives. At the CDC, which also operates under Kennedy, an environmental health division endured layoffs and is no longer at the agency, said Megin Nichols, director of CDC's division of foodborne, waterborne, and environmental diseases. The division was critical to food safety and CDC continues to "maintain the spirit of that work," Nichols said in a virtual appearance at the conference.
