Trump And RFK Jr Declare War on Junk Food: Here Are The Details

Americans – and our kids – are hooked on ultra-processed foods (UPFs) at absolutely staggering levels. And now? President Trump is making it a signature health fight with his Make America Healthy Again initiative.

The numbers are jaw-dropping. According to brand-new CDC data, more than half of our daily calories are coming from UPFs – industrially made products packed with additives, preservatives, artificial flavors, and almost no real nutrition. We’re talking soda, chips, fast food, candy, packaged pastries – the stuff that’s high in sugar, fat, chemicals, and low in anything your body actually needs.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Ages 1–5: 56.1% of calories from UPFs
• Ages 6–11: 64.8% (!!)
• Ages 12–18: 63%
• Ages 19–39: 54.4%
• Ages 50–59: 52.6%
• Ages 60+: 51.7%

While UPF consumption has slightly dipped since peaking in the mid-2010s, it’s still a national crisis – and a huge driver of chronic disease.

Enter MAHA: Make America Healthy Again. Led by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Trump administration is going right at the heart of the problem. High-profile food companies have already pledged to remove synthetic dyes from their products. The FDA is working with HHS to create the first-ever federally recognized definition of “ultra-processed food,” which will be the foundation for research, labeling, and future regulation. And the USDA has approved waivers so states can stop SNAP benefits from being spent on UPFs like soda and candy.

This might not sound earth-shattering at first, but make no mistake – defining UPFs at the federal level is the first big step toward reining in an out-of-control problem that’s making America sick.

For decades, the junk food industry has gotten a free pass while our health tanked. Now, the Trump administration is taking the fight straight to the source – and that’s something every parent, taxpayer, and American with a beating heart should cheer for.