Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday announced a sweeping proposal to overhaul a decades-old food policy that has allowed manufacturers to introduce certain new ingredients without direct federal oversight. The Trump administration has also submitted what officials describe as the federal government’s first proposed definition of ultra-processed foods for final review, Kennedy said.

“Parents should not need a chemistry degree to understand what their kids are eating,” Kennedy said during an event in Washington, where he again emphasized his longstanding criticism of the typical American diet and its connection to obesity and chronic disease.

“Nearly 60% of the American diet is made up of ultra-processed foods for our kids … and more than 70% of American adults are obese or overweight,” he said. “We cannot spend our way out of a chronic disease epidemic while ignoring the things that are making Americans sick. Food is the most powerful weapon that we have in our arsenal.”

Kennedy said the Food and Drug Administration lacks a precise count of the ingredients currently used throughout the nation’s food supply, estimating the total could range from 4,000 to 12,000. He pointed to a 1958 law enacted by Congress that permits manufacturers to use substances considered “generally recognized as safe,” commonly known as GRAS.

Under the GRAS system, companies historically have not been required to conduct extensive safety studies on familiar substances such as salt, vinegar and flour. Kennedy said the policy was intended to provide a limited exemption but gradually evolved into a loophole that allowed companies to independently determine whether newer substances were safe.

“Industry hijacked the loophole and drove a convoy of chemical trucks through it straight into the American food supply,” Kennedy said. “The FDA was left with a major blind spot, and administration after administration allowed that system to persist. And Congress has not fixed it either.”

Under the proposed regulation, food manufacturers would be required to notify the FDA when they determine that substances qualify for GRAS status. The agency would also broaden its publicly accessible database of GRAS notifications. For ingredients already being used in food products, manufacturers would receive a timeline for providing the FDA with information about their existing applications.

FDA officials and public-health advocates also highlighted the administration’s proposed definition of ultra-processed foods during Monday’s events, describing it as a potentially significant development. The Department of Health and Human Services has not yet released the definition publicly, but said Monday that the proposal incorporates input from thousands of stakeholders, including consumer advocates, researchers and representatives of the food industry.

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health describes ultra-processed foods as products containing at least one ingredient that would not ordinarily be found in a household kitchen, including certain chemical preservatives, hydrogenated oils or artificial colors. Such products undergo processing “that leave the final products bearing almost no resemblance to the original ingredients.”

“The agency continues to operate with a lack of comprehensive knowledge of the substances present in the food supply,” acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas said Monday.

Diamantas “strongly” urged “all stakeholders” to participate in the public-comment process for the proposal, which was released Monday morning. The FDA will accept public comments for 120 days.

The Consumer Brands Association, a trade organization representing the U.S. consumer packaged-goods industry, said Monday that it has significant concerns about the federal government’s effort to establish a definition for ultra-processed foods. The group warned that the policy could raise costs for consumers and create additional confusion.

“America’s packaged food supply is safe and has been a staple in American households for decades,” Consumer Brands Association Executive Vice President Rhonda Bentz said in a statement. “That’s something that a guidance document crafted without credible experts cannot change. Any so-called definition that captures 80% of the nation’s food supply while picking winners and losers is fundamentally flawed, not based on sound science and politically motivated.”

Consumer Brands is also part of Americans for Ingredient Transparency, a coalition advocating for federal legislation that would create nationwide standards governing ingredient-safety regulations, including rules concerning substances classified as generally recognized as safe.

During Monday’s event, Kennedy urged Congress “to give FDA the additional tools it needs to keep pace with the changing food supply” and called for expanded federal oversight of food ingredients.

“AFIT supports meaningful, science-based modernization of the GRAS program and efforts to strengthen consumer confidence in the safety and transparency of our food supply,” AFIT senior adviser Patrice Onwuka said in a statement. “The most durable way to achieve those goals is through bipartisan Congressional action that establishes a transparent, nationally uniform framework for food ingredient oversight.”

AFIT cited a recent analysis from the Policy Navigation Group estimating that grocery prices could rise by 12% if states continue developing separate ingredient regulations rather than adopting a national standard. The coalition also said federal legislation aimed at increasing food transparency has bipartisan backing.

“In attendance today we have left-wing groups who are in bitter disagreement with us on other issues but are joining arms on these initiatives today,” HHS senior adviser Calley Means said Monday. “All of us agree there is a unique political and cultural moment where we can change the incentives of our food system and improve transparency.”