HHS Secretary RFK Jr. says war against ultra-processed foods is 'spiritual'

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Friday, February 13, 2026

A day after former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson declared war against processed foods in a Super Bowl commercial, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that his agency's war with ultra-processed foods, which he says are poisoning the population, is “spiritual.”

“Most cases of juvenile diabetes, you can actually lose the diagnosis by simply changing your diet. And … many doctors don't know how to give that kind of advice. Eighty percent of physicians say they don't feel competent to give nutritional advice because they're learning pharmacology in medical school and there's a pill for every ill,” Kennedy said during a discussion at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation on Monday.

“We're not focusing on what the causes are and how to prevent them. And if we're going to beat this, that's what we have to do. You know the primary culprit is ultra-processed foods, refined carbohydrates, 70% of the food that our kids eat is ultra-processed foods, and it's killing them,” he added. “It's a spiritual warfare.”

Kennedy’s warning comes just months after a global team of public health experts warned that a growing consumption of ultra-processed foods, such as breakfast cereals, yogurts, soda, cookies, and even infant formula, is fueling an increase in chronic diseases, including mental illnesses, around the world.

Ultra-processed foods or UPFs are described as “branded, commercial formulations made from cheap ingredients, with little or no whole food.”

In "Ultra-Processed Foods and Human Health," experts describe the food group as: all carbonated soft drinks; reconstituted fruit juices and fruit drinks; cocoa, other modified dairy drinks, margarines; cured meat or fish with added nitrites or nitrates; poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, hot dogs, luncheon meats, and other reconstituted meat products; powdered instant soups, noodles, and desserts; infant formulas and follow-on products. Health-related and slimming-related products, such as meal-replacement shakes and powders, are also classified as UPFs.

Researchers called for a “comprehensive, government-led approach” globally to “reverse the rise in UPF consumption." The HHS’ Make America Healthy Again campaign is in line with that push.

The Trump administration’s Realfood.gov initiative, launched last month, also seeks to promote the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines, which prioritize eating whole, nutrient-dense foods such as proteins, vegetables, fruits and healthy fats. The guidelines suggest limiting or avoiding ultra-processed foods, added sugars, and artificial ingredients. 

Kennedy said America spends about $4.3 trillion annually to treat chronic diseases, and about 40% of that (roughly $1.7 trillion) goes towards treating “diet-induced chronic diseases.”

Pointing to diseases such as juvenile diabetes, Kennedy said the condition can be cured through dietary changes.

“It's a war at scale against cellular activity. It's an assault on our children … it’s much worse than cigarettes. Everybody agrees cigarettes are bad. This is much worse. The costs to our society are existential. Seventy-seven percent of our children can no longer qualify for military service. And most of that is diet-related,” the HHS Secretary said.

“We need to change what we're feeding these children or we're going to lose our country,” he insisted.

“Diabetes rates have gone up. Now we're spending almost a trillion dollars a year on metabolic dysfunction. That is mainly through diabetes. When I was a kid, the average pediatrician would see one case of juvenile diabetes over a 40 or 50-year career. Today, 38% of our teens are diabetic or pre-diabetic. And we know what's causing it.”