RFK Jr. Proposes New Reporting Requirements for Ultra-Processed Foods

Manufacturers would be able to keep selling products under the proposed rule.

Kennedy Jr. reads the nutrition label on the back of a jar of food.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. touted the proposal as a fulfillment of his promises to improve diet and nutrition in the United States. Melissa Majchrzak/AP

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has taken a swing against processed foods in the United States, but didn’t go as far as the food industry had feared.

Food manufacturers would have to submit information about additives, including dyes, preservatives, sweeteners and emulsifiers, to the Food and Drug Administration, according to a proposed rule detailed Monday by administration officials.

In a sigh of relief for the industry, the packaged foods would be able to remain on the shelves in the meantime.