The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking to create a national definition of ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) for policy and regulation. These comments, submitted by Drs. Marissa Hall, Shu Wen Ng, Barry Popkin, and Lindsey Smith Taillie on behalf of the Global Food Research Program, emphasize that UPFs make up over half of U.S. calorie intake and are strongly linked to chronic diseases, overeating, and poor health outcomes. The GFRP urges the FDA to use evidence-based criteria that reflect the systems used in scientific research and to ensure the definition is practical, consistent, and comprehensive. Their key recommendations are:
- Use the Nova classification system as the foundation for defining UPFs.
- Identify UPFs through ingredient lists and additives rather than industrial processing data.
- Focus on the presence, not amount, of “cosmetic” additives such as colors, flavors, emulsifiers, and sweeteners.
- Avoid defining UPFs solely by nutrient content or individual ingredients.
- Use nutrient thresholds (sugar, sodium, saturated fat) only as secondary, supportive criteria.
- Keep definitions broad enough to capture most UPFs and prevent industry reformulation loopholes.
Policy brief describing SuperSNAP, a Food is Medicine program in NC. Starting in September 2019, the SuperSNAP program enrolled individuals with diet-related health conditions receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in nine federally qualified health centers across North Carolina. SuperSNAP participants received $40 per month to spend on fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruits and vegetables without additives at a participating NC-based chain retailer with around 500 stores across North Carolina. This policy brief includes reflections from surveys with consumers, NC retailers, and healthcare providers on the success of the SuperSNAP program. 
The Global Food Research Program's comments submitted in response to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service's proposed updates to foods provided through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). 
Policy brief summarizing findings from a study about WIC participants’ experiences with changes to the program’s cash value benefit for buying fruits and vegetables during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers sought to understand WIC participant perceptions of this change and barriers and facilitators to using the CVB.
Diagram outlining the five phases of the Nutrition Transition and their associated dietary and activity patterns.
Diagram showing the relationships between the interests of governments, health advocates, consumers, and industry, their potential responses to taxes, and measurable outcomes for evaluations.