In Defense of Processed Foods

In Defense of Processed Foods

Processed foods have become the go-to villain in America’s health story. Picture the packages crowding supermarket aisles: frozen dinners, canned food, soda, chips. They’re packed with preservatives and additives and often blamed—especially by champions of the Make America Healthy Again movement—for soaring rates of obesity and chronic disease. On Sunday, Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Food and Drug …

RFK Jr. pledges HHS overhaul of ultra-processed foods oversight

In a CBS "60 Minutes" interview aired on Sunday with correspondent Bill Whitaker, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) announced a major regulatory pivot, signaling his intent to scrutinize the safety and prevalence of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in the American diet.