RFK Jr. declared a 'war on added sugar.' Will Americans stop eating ultra-processed foods?

The new U.S. dietary guidelines call for eating less processed foods, but will Americans really stop reaching for them?

More than half of the calories consumed at home by both adults and children in the U.S. come from ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, according to a 2025 analysis from the National Center for Health Statistics.

But Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is trying to change that by including in the guidelines, for the first time, specific language about reducing highly processed foods, including avoiding added sugars and refined grains.

"Today, our government declares war on added sugar,” Kennedy said in the White House press briefing Jan. 7 where the guidelines were announced. “My message is clear: eat real food.”

Ultra-processed foods are factory-made formulations produced largely from refined ingredients, additives (including colorings and preservatives) and little-to-no whole foods. Using artificial flavors and sweeteners, these foods are designed for more palatable tastes and longer shelf life. They're typically higher in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, and devoid of nutrients and fiber.

Dr. Fang Fang Zhang, a cancer epidemiologist focused on nutrition, told USA TODAY the message to eat more whole or minimally processed foods is a good one, but whether Americans will really ditch soda and packaged snacks, "we have to see."

"It's really difficult to ask individual to make healthy food choices if we don't change the environment," Zhang said. "The impact depends on whether policies subsequently will be designed and implemented in this country."

Because as things are now, access and affordability is a major factor when it comes to what Americans decide to eat.

"We've known that fresh fruits and vegetables are ideal, but they're expensive for a lot of people, and so how do we make them available?" Dr. Daniel Dunham, chair of medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital, told USA TODAY.

"Going from a pulpit and telling people how to eat without understanding the socio-economic challenges they face is insensitive at best and thoughtless at worst," he said. "We need to be mindful of that and try to make healthy dietary choices affordable."

But, Zhang is hopeful the guidelines will have impact is some ways, including setting the standard for many federal programs like school lunches and SNAP benefits.

Wait, what about processed meats?

In addition to sugary drinks and ready-to-eat foods, certain meats are also considered processed. And experts worry that some of the guideline's messaging, especially the emphasis on protein, could cause confusion.

"The main criticism I'd have with this is we lump the processed proteins and the unprocessed proteins together. And that's probably too simplistic," Dunham said.

Ingesting UPFs − including packaged meats like hot dogs and bologna − has been associated with more than 30 health conditions, including Type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, mental health disorders and obesity. A diet heavy in UPFs has also been linked to a greater risk of arthritis and increased fat within thigh muscles.

And too much red meat is associated with adverse health outcomes such as increased risk of colorectal cancer. But meat now sits atop of the newly-flipped food pyramid. Saturated fats found in red meat and dairy products also put you at increased risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease, Dunham added.

"If you don't have any other protein sources, and you have dairy or red meat, then it's probably better than nothing. But if you have other types of proteins, they're going to be superior from a health perspective," Dunham said, noting that "a lot of people don't have access to the 'ideal foods.'"

Will Americans really ditch processed foods?

While a public health campaign can be effective, Zhang said the guidelines need to be paired with policies that help people to make healthy food choices.

"Should we tax ultra-processed food? Should we be subsidizing fruit, veggies and other healthy food choices?" she said.

Another suggestion is putting certain labels on food packages, as some other countries have done, to help consumers make smart choices.

"Some labels can be very misleading," she said, adding there's no standard label for whole grains, for example. Some products can make "you think that's whole grain, but it's not."

Dunham believes for Americans to make good choices when it comes to food, we need to eliminate the barriers that stand in the way.

"If the easy thing to do is right thing, people will do it. If it's hard to do, then it's going to be less likely for people to do the right thing," he said. "We can make it easy by making it more affordable, more accessible."