Watchdog Groups to White House: Don’t Hike Grocery Bills With a Federal “Ultra-Processed Food” Label

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kara Zupkus (224) 456-0257

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) and a coalition of 15 taxpayer and consumer organizations sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought urging the administration to reject a proposed federal definition of “Ultra-Processed Food” (UPF) now under OMB review. The coalition warns the definition would drive up grocery prices at a time when affordability is the top concern for American families.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and United States Department of Agriculture sent the proposed definition to OMB on August 10 in the form of a white paper, rather than a formal rule. By the FDA’s own account, roughly 70 percent of the U.S. food supply is made up of foods commonly considered “ultra-processed.” A federal label that broad would sweep in affordable grocery staples like whole-grain bread, yogurt, fortified cereals, and frozen chicken breasts, based on how they are made rather than their nutritional value.

The coalition letter, a follow-up to an August 27 letter, lays out how a federal UPF definition would hit family budgets:

• Higher costs at the checkout counter. Labeling mandates that follow a federal definition would force manufacturers to reformulate products and redesign packaging. Those costs get passed on to shoppers.
• A lawsuit bonanza for trial lawyers. More than ten UPF-related lawsuits are already pending against American food companies, including a December 2025 suit from the San Francisco City Attorney. A government-endorsed definition would hand plaintiffs’ attorneys a new weapon, and settlements and payouts end up on consumers’ grocery bills.
• A 50-state patchwork. California has already enacted its own UPF definition. Once Washington sets one, states will pile on their own rules, taxes, and marketing restrictions, raising costs for food producers that sell nationwide.
• Mixed messages on healthy eating. The definition would contradict HHS’s own dietary guidance by discouraging Americans from buying safe, nutritious, and affordable food.

David Williams, president of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, issued the following statement:

“American families are struggling and already stretching every dollar at the grocery store, and the last thing they need is Washington bureaucrats slapping a scarlet letter on 70 percent of the food in their carts. This so-called ‘ultra-processed’ definition isn’t based on sound science. It’s a gift-wrapped present for trial lawyers and a hidden tax on every family that buys bread, yogurt, or frozen chicken. Every frivolous lawsuit, every forced reformulation, and every new state mandate that follows gets paid for at the checkout line. OMB should reject this white paper and tell HHS to drop it for good.”

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The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the public through the research, analysis, and dissemination of information on the government’s impact on the economy.