Trump Health Adviser Calley Means Resigns Amid Conflict Over Ultra-Processed Food Definition

The Trump administration’s effort to establish a formal definition for ultra-processed foods has hit a significant roadblock following the resignation of a key health adviser. Calley Means, who served as an adviser to the administration, stepped down from his post ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, reportedly frustrated by the slow pace of policy development regarding the American diet.

According to individuals familiar with the matter, the primary catalyst for the departure was a lack of progress on a white paper intended to propose a standard definition for what qualifies as an ultra-processed food. Means has been a vocal critic of the current food landscape, explicitly linking the prevalence of ultra-processed products to what he describes as a “chronic disease crisis” currently facing the United States. His exit underscores the intensifying internal debate over how the federal government should categorize and potentially regulate manufactured food products.

The push to define these foods has met with significant resistance from the private sector. Representatives from the food industry have expressed mounting concerns that a formal government definition could be weaponized in litigation. There is a particular fear among manufacturers that such a classification would provide a legal foundation for lawsuits targeting food companies over health outcomes attributed to their products.

Despite the loss of a key advocate for the definition, the White House is moving forward with a series of high-stakes meetings with various stakeholders to discuss the issue. On Tuesday, officials are scheduled to meet with the National Restaurant Association. This will be followed by a meeting on Thursday with the Center for Food Safety, an advocacy group that has traditionally pushed for stricter food oversight and transparency.

The dialogue is expected to continue beyond the midterm elections. The administration has scheduled further discussions with the Consumer Brands Association and the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association in the days following the vote. These meetings suggest that while the white paper’s release has been delayed, the debate over the definition of the American diet remains a central, if contentious, priority for the administration.