U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the Food and Drug Administration will take up a petition to reconsider the safety designation for a broad set of processed refined carbohydrates, unless food manufacturers can provide evidence those ingredients do not harm public health or contribute to obesity. Kennedy made the announcement in remarks aired on Sunday on the CBS program "60 Minutes."
The petition was submitted last August by David Kessler, a former FDA commissioner. Kessler asked the agency to remove corn syrup and dozens of other sweeteners and starches from the list of items classified as GRAS - Generally Recognized as Safe. Kennedy said the administration will act on that request.
"We will act on David Kessler’s petition," Kennedy said on the program. "And the questions that he’s asking are questions that FDA should’ve been asking a long, long time ago." Both Kennedy and Kessler argue the GRAS designation, established by Congress in 1958, has created a pathway that allows companies to place ingredients into the food supply without a full, government-led safety review because it permits manufacturers to affirm safety without external oversight.
Kennedy said he intends to close that procedural gap if he secures approval from the White House. "There is no way for any American to know if a product is safe if it is ultraprocessed," he said on "60 Minutes."
Kessler served as FDA commissioner from 1990 to 1997. During his time at the agency he attempted to regulate tobacco under FDA authority - an effort that ultimately did not succeed but that he says elevated scrutiny of the tobacco industry. He told the CBS program he wants to apply a similar regulatory lens to large food companies.
"We changed how this country views tobacco," Kessler said. "We need to change how this country views these ultraprocessed foods."
Two food industry trade groups, the Consumer Brands Association and the American Farm Bureau Federation, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kennedy has made the campaign against processed foods and artificial dyes one of the most visible initiatives of his tenure at the Health and Human Services Department. Separate federal guidance announced last month by the Trump administration urged Americans to consume more protein and less sugar than previously advised and recommended avoiding highly processed foods.
On the broadcast, however, Kennedy stopped short of promising new regulatory mandates. "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."
Context and implications
The pending review could alter how manufacturers classify and introduce certain sweeteners and starches into the market if the FDA decides to revoke GRAS status. Kennedy and Kessler’s argument centers on procedural oversight and the need for greater assurance that ultraprocessed ingredients do not present public health risks. The outcome will hinge on the agency's evaluation of the petition and any subsequent decisions about oversight or policy changes, subject to White House approval where noted by the health secretary.