Trump Administration Makes Another Push At Maha Priority

The Trump administration is again pushing to finalize a definition of ultraprocessed foods, a fresh post-election effort after progress stalled last month, according to two people familiar with the policy discussions, granted anonymity to discuss ongoing conversations.

The latest effort comes the week after Stephen Miller was appointed chief of staff. He and his wife Katie Miller have long been reliable allies of the Make America Healthy Again movement, which prioritizes defining ultraprocessed foods. Susie Wiles, the former chief of staff, has been accused by a former HHS staffer of blocking MAHA goals including the definition of ultraprocessed food — claims that she has denied.

The MAHA movement hopes that defining ultraprocessed foods is the first step toward labeling them, which would in turn steer Americans toward what the movement believes are healthier choices.

Meetings and conversations among administration officials and industry have gained more momentum since Miller was elevated, according to the two people. But exactly what the policy will look like remains uncertain.

Miller has given “signals of support” for the policy and is aware of its progress, one of the two people said.

In a statement, a White House official said that Miller and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have worked closely together since day one and will continue to do so to advance bipartisan MAHA victories.

The statement noted past administration wins for MAHA, including overhauling the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and investing in regenerative farming.

The latest push to define ultraprocessed foods is the first post-election olive branch to the MAHA movement, whose alliance with the White House strained during the past year as some MAHA advocates feel that they have been betrayed over policy decisions and slow progress.

A prior effort stalled multiple times in the months leading up to Election Day amid competing White House priorities and food industry pushback.

The tension reached a new peak when Calley Means, a former advisor to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., resigned from the administration last month and accused former White House chief of staff Wiles of blocking the ultraprocessed food policy, among other MAHA priorities, on a recent podcast appearance. Means alleged that her ties to industry swayed her to block any progress. Wiles, through a spokesperson, called Means’ assertions "outrageous, defamatory, and provably false.”

Kennedy and Means had made another unsuccessful attempt to define ultraprocessed foods ahead of the election in an effort to deliver a win for MAHA voters ahead of the elections.

Health and Human Services spokesperson Emily Hilliard rejected that the effort to define ultraprocessed foods was ever halted and defended the administration’s MAHA record.

“This work never stalled. The Trump Administration is moving forward with the federal government’s first definition of ultra-processed foods to inform future nutrition research,” she said in a statement. “In two years, we have accomplished more on food policy than any administration in modern history.”

Stephen and Katie Miller have been proponents of the MAHA movement on issues like reducing the number of recommended childhood vaccines, which Miller spoke about during an Oval Office event in August. Miller also discussed health risks from pesticide use with MAHA advocates in a White House meeting in April – an effort to mend fences with the group after the president’s pesticide policy caused a major rift with MAHA activists.

In recent days, Katie Miller has used her large social media following to tout her husband’s dedication to the movement.

“For our kids and yours, let’s Make America Healthy Again,” she wrote on X Wednesday.

The packaged food industry opposes defining ultraprocessed foods, arguing that scientists disagree about the definition and whether processing food makes it less nutritious. Companies have also made the case that a government definition could open up food makers to legal liability, and that labeling foods as ultraprocessed could push Americans away from packaged foods at a time when GLP-1 weight loss drugs are already depressing food sales. Much of the food industry has also said that targeting ultraprocessed foods will increase grocery prices as affordability is a major concern for Americans.

“The federal government should not advance misguided policies that will make everyday essentials more expensive; do nothing to meaningfully improve public health; and will only enrich the plaintiffs’ bar,” Rhonda Bentz, executive vice president of public affairs for the food industry group Consumer Brands Association, said in a statement to POLITICO.

A recent analysis from the University of Chicago found that mandating ultraprocessed food labels would cost the industry $14.2 billion, which would be recouped through higher prices for consumers. MAHA advocates have pushed back on industry concerns by arguing that it’s a transparency effort and that health should be prioritized over companies’ bottom lines.

Myah Ward contributed to this story.