RFK Jr. Says He’ll Act on Ultra-Processed Foods Petition

‘I’m not saying that we’re going to regulate ultra-processed food,’ the health secretary also said.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.in Washington on Jan. 7, 2026. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he will respond to a petition that could enable the limiting of corn syrup and more than a dozen other refined carbohydrates by rescinding an automatic safety status they currently have.

“We will act on David Kessler’s petition,” Kennedy said in an interview aired by CBS’s “60 Minutes” on Feb. 15.