{"id":102715,"date":"2026-08-10T08:00:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T15:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/?p=102715"},"modified":"2026-08-10T06:18:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T13:18:31","slug":"former-fda-head-david-kessler-warns-humans-were-never-intended-to-handle-ultraprocessed-foods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/doctrine\/former-fda-head-david-kessler-warns-humans-were-never-intended-to-handle-ultraprocessed-foods\/","title":{"rendered":"Former FDA head David Kessler warns humans were never intended to handle ultraprocessed foods"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Aisle of Ultraprocessed Foods at Walmart<\/em>
\n(Photo by Thayne Tuason<\/a><\/span> <\/span> via Wikipedia)<\/em><\/p>\n

COGwriter<\/a><\/p>\n

Ultraprocessed foods are getting more attention. CBS<\/em> reported the following:<\/p>\n

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Human “biology was never intended to handle” ultraprocessed foods, former FDA head David Kessler warns<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re reading this, chances are you already try to avoid ultraprocessed foods<\/a> (UPFs), recognizing UPFs contain ingredients you wouldn\u2019t want in your own kitchen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Today, an increasing number of Americans across the political spectrum \u2013 from Make America Healthy Again activists to everyday shoppers \u2013 are voicing concern about the health impact of ultraprocessed foods \u2013 those boxed and wrapped in plastic, ready-to-eat items lining grocery store shelves.<\/p>\n

Leading the charge are two men who disagree on pretty much everything else about public health \u2013 Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. David Kessler, the former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.<\/p>\n

As we first reported in February, the two men have found common ground over a common culprit: a 67-year-old government classification for substances in our food. It’s called GRAS, or generally recognized as safe. Kennedy and Kessler say it has allowed big food companies to use ingredients without a full government safety review and flood the market with\u00a0ultraprocessed foods<\/a><\/span>\u00a0that now make up 50% of\u00a0our calories<\/a><\/span>\u00a0and 60% of our children’s diets.<\/p>\n

David Kessler: Over the last 40 years, the United States has been exposed to something that our biology was never intended to handle. Energy-dense, highly palatable, rapidly absorbable, ultraprocessed foods that have altered our metabolism and have resulted in the greatest increase in chronic disease in our history. Type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, hypertension, abnormal lipids, fatty liver, heart attacks, stroke, heart failure.<\/p>\n

Bill Whitaker: From our food<\/p>\n

David Kessler: From our food. https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/ultraprocessed-foods-rfk-jr-and-david-kessler-60-minutes-transcript-2026-08-09\/<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Let me add that a major factor in increasing public awareness has been Health and Human Services Secretary RF Kennedy, Jr.<\/p>\n

David Kessler mainly focused on labeling matters with food and did not make the type of public health warnings he and others are now making.<\/p>\n

Ultra-processed foods are highly consumed and are dangerous.<\/p>\n

‘Big Food’ is not pleased with “the science” that points to health risks associated with the consumption of ultraprocessed foods.<\/p>\n

Yet, in the USA, various dietitians reportedly have been saying that obesity and processed foods are good and healthy because they have received money from ‘Big Food’ (see General Mills funded dieticians who try to claim being obese is healthy and that ultra-processed foods are good<\/a>).<\/p>\n

By the way, for one year I was a member of the American Dietetics Association. I was appalled by its promotion of ultraprocessed foods, radiated foods, and artificial sweetners when I once attended it annual national conference in 1994. I did not renew my membership after that.The consumption of less packaged foods is healthier for most people.<\/p>\n

The Apostle Paul wrote:<\/p>\n

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, (1 Timothy 6:10)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Greed for money, not health, drives much of the food processing industry. Notice the following from last Fall:<\/p>\n

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Scientists criticize food manufacturers for massive profits from sales of unhealthy ultraprocessed food<\/h2>\n

November 18, 2025<\/p>\n

Certain ultraprocessed foods<\/a>, or UPFs, are contributing to worldwide obesity, chronic health conditions and premature death<\/a>, yet the food industry continues to aggressively market new and existing products in this category for massive profits, according to an unprecedented three-part series<\/a> authored by 43 global experts in nutrition and supported by the United Nations Children\u2019s Fund, or UNICEF, and the World Health Organization.<\/p>\n

More than 50% of the $2.9 trillion paid to shareholders by food corporations between 1962 and 2021 \u201cwas distributed by UPF manufacturers alone,\u201d according to research published Tuesday in the leading medical journal The Lancet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found evidence that UPF consumption is increasing everywhere around the world, fueled by powerful global corporations,\u201d said coauthor Carlos Augusto Monteiro, professor emeritus of nutrition and public health in the School of Public Health at Brazil\u2019s University of S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo keep this business model, which is highly profitable, the industry cannot afford to make minimally processed foods as they did in the past, so they use extensive political lobbying to stop effective public health policies that support healthy eating,\u201d said Monteiro, who coined the term \u201cultraprocessed food\u201d in 2009 when he developed the NOVA classification system<\/a>, which categorizes foods into four groups by their level of industrial processing.<\/p>\n

Companies can \u201cdouble or triple their profits\u201d by turning corn, wheat, beans and other whole foods \u201cinto a colorless and flavorless sawdust which is then reconstructed with artificial flavorings and additives,\u201d said Barry Popkin, the W.R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill\u2019s Gillings School of Global Public Health. https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/11\/18\/health\/ultraprocessed-industry-profits-wellness<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Yes, greed is a factor. And yes, the food industry advertises and promotes processed foods.<\/p>\n

That said, remember Eve in the Garden:<\/p>\n

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. (Genesis 3:6)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Eve reasoned around God’s restriction. The fruit looked like good and desirable food to her. Ultra-processed foods and many unclean meats that God’s word prohibits look like good and desirable foods to many–so this is not entirely the fault of the food processing industry.<\/p>\n

Self-control is something Christians should have (e.g. 2 Peter 1:6).<\/p>\n

Highly-processed junk foods may look good, taste good, and seem convenient, but if consumed at all, should be a very small part of anyone’s diet.<\/p>\n

Yet most in the West deceive themselves that they are not eating too much of them or that they are fine. Plus there is a lot of advertising that promotes them. That brings to mind another warning from the Apostle Paul:<\/p>\n

1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, … 13 … evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:1-2,13)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Because the negative effects take time, many are wrongly persuaded by advertisements and availability to eat too much highly processed foods. Many also deceive themselves into falsely believing that they cannot cause serious problems–yet they can.<\/p>\n

The following scripture came to mind:<\/p>\n

11 Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. (Ecclesiastes 8:11)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As far as food processing goes, it really started to become a problem in the 19th century. This is when refined flour came out. Then we saw degerminated corn meal and white rice. Grits, which once were made of ground, whole organic corn, are now made with degerminated GMO corn, ‘fortified’ with synthetic vitamins. After corn was ‘degerminated’ many people in the Southern USA died from a disease called pellagra. Instead of going back to whole corn, chemically-derived synthetic vitamins were added, which I consider to be dangerous.<\/p>\n

In the 19th<\/sup> century, after natural brown rice became refined on a large scale, white rice became popular. Many preferred white rice because it could be stored longer than natural brown rice, plus it cooked faster.<\/p>\n

In the 19th<\/sup> century, a disease called beriberi began to cause many deaths in parts of Asia. Symptoms of beriberi include weight loss, emotional disturbances, impaired sensory perception, weakness and pain in the limbs, and periods of irregular heart rate.<\/p>\n

At first no one connected the consumption of white rice in with beriberi. Leading \u2018infectious disease\u2019 experts attempted to figure out what caused this beriberi outbreak, without success. The real cause was the greatly reduced consumption of B-vitamins that was in the portion of the rice that was refined away\u2014but no one realized this at first.<\/p>\n

Now, we have even more highly processed items in the food supply–and also genetically-modified substances that there is limited data on the possible long-term health consequences of their consumption.<\/p>\n

What should you eat? You should eat real food and for most people, at least two or more servings of fruit and three of more servings of vegetables daily, relatively small amounts of meats, whole grains, and olive oil come to mind. Refined grains, sugars (whether natural or artificial), sodas, and GMOs should be highly limited or not consumed at all<\/p>\n

The Bible teaches:<\/p>\n

3 You shall not eat any detestable thing. (Deuteronomy 14:3)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Many ultraprocessed foods contain GMOs and potentially toxic chemicals–hence many truly are detestable.<\/p>\n

God’s word also says:<\/p>\n

2 … Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good (Isaiah 55:2).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

People should try to eat real, not artificial, foods. And if you take vitamins and minerals, take the type whose nutrients are 100% food (which is what I personally do).<\/p>\n

In 2022, the\u00a0Continuing<\/em>\u00a0Church of God<\/a> put out the following sermon on its ContinuingCOG\u00a0<\/a>channel:<\/p>\n

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1:11:59<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Let\u2019s Talk About Food<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Bible says to eat what is good. Does the Bible give any information on what to eat and not eat? What happened in the Garden of Eden? What about Noah? What are clean and unclean animals? Did early Christians avoid biblically-unclean animals? What are some of the health risks associated with eating pork, shellfish, and bats? Are pigs associated with the flu? Could bats have been involved related to the corona virus pandemic? Should humans consume blood? What are enzymes? Can raw foods aid in health? Is the typical US diet deadly? What about processed foods? Is eating refined sugar necessary? How were vitamins discovered? What about United States Pharmacopeia (USP) vs. food vitamins? Are most mineral supplements composed of processed rocks? What about genetically-modified organisms (GMOs)? What about sodas and other beverages? Dr. Thiel addresses these matters and more.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Here is a link to the sermon:\u00a0Let\u2019s Talk About Food<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In addition to ultra-processed foods, we also now have genetically-modified foods as well as lab grown and other artificial meats–some of which are evil.<\/p>\n

In 2023, the\u00a0Continuing<\/em>\u00a0Church of God<\/a> put out the following sermon on its ContinuingCOG\u00a0<\/a>channel:<\/p>\n

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1:07:48<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Evil is Affecting the Food Supply<\/a><\/h3>\n

God gave humans food and said what He made was good. What about unclean animals? What about genetically-modified organisms (GMOs)? What about \u2018bioengineered foods\u2019? What about lab meat? What about human-cloned salami? What about \u2018Piggy Sooy\u2019? Are Christians supposed to eat what is good according to Isaiah 55:2? What should we eat? What should Christians avoid eating? Dr. Thiel addresses these matters and more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Here is a link to the following:\u00a0Evil is Affecting the Food Supply<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There are personal costs to eating too many things that you should not.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

It is nice that some are warning about some of the evils affecting the food supply.<\/p>\n

Some items of possibly related interest may include:<\/em><\/p>\n

Christian Health Matters<\/a> Should Christians be concerned about their health? Does the Bible give any food and health guidelines? Here are links to three related sermons: Let’s Talk About Food<\/a>, Evil is Affecting the Food Supply<\/a>, and Let’s Talk About Health<\/a>.
\nAmerican foods that gross out foreigners<\/a> A study done in the Fall of 2014 found out which foods that non-USA Americans considered weird or gross that Americans eat. This video discusses those foods, ingredients in some of those foods, and warns against consuming ‘that which is not bread’ (Isaiah 55:2). Dr. Thiel also warns about synthetic vitamins and some of the issues associated with them. He also discusses something promoted by the late Seventh-day Adventist, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg.
\nThe New Testament Church, History, and Unclean Meats<\/a> Are foods considered to have been unclean in the Old Testament considered to be food in the New Testament? This article discusses this from the perspective of the New Testament. It also has a list of clean and unclean animals. It also answers the question, is pork healthy or is pork dangerous? There is also a sermon-length video on this: Christians and Unclean Meats<\/span><\/a>; two short videos are also available: Did Jesus declare all animal flesh food?<\/a> and COVID, Pandemics, and Unclean Meat<\/a>.<\/span>
\nObesity, processed foods, health risks, and the Bible <\/a> Does the Bible warn about the consequences of being obese? Is overeating dangerous? Is gluttony condemned? What diseases are associated with eating too much refined foods?
\nEating Right, Eating Too Much, and Prophecy <\/a> Are there disadvantages to being overweight? Is junk food really bad for you? Does the Bible discuss overeating and\/or obesity? Is overeating having an effect on the US military? What are the ramifications of personal and national health for overeating? What should you eat? This is a sermonette-length YouTubevideo.
\nGMOs and Bible Prophecy<\/a> What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here are some related videos: GMO Risks and the Bible<\/a><\/span> and GMOs, Lab meat, Hydrogenation: Safe or Dangerous? <\/a>
\nChimeras: Has Science Crossed the Line?<\/a> What are chimeras?\u00a0 Has science crossed the line? Does the Bible give any clues? A video of related interest is Half human, half pig: What’s the difference?<\/a> \u00a0and Human-Monkey Embryos and Death<\/a>.
\nTen Simple Rules that Lead to Health<\/a> Herbert Armstrong gives his opinions on this.
\nDoes God Heal Today?<\/a> What does the Bible teach? Herbert Armstrong tries to explain this.
\nUK Study Supports Daniel Diet<\/a> Daniel and his companions looked better eating more vegetables and avoiding strange meats. Has modern science confirmed this?
\nLost Tribes and Prophecies:\u00a0What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?<\/a>\u00a0Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons:\u00a0Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA<\/a>;\u00a0Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications<\/a>;\u00a011 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes<\/a>;\u00a0Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty<\/a>;\u00a0Gentile European Beast<\/a>;\u00a0Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies<\/a>;\u00a0Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0When Will the End of the Age Come?<\/a>;\u00a0\u00a0Rise of the Prophesied King of the North<\/a>;\u00a0Christian Persecution from the Beast<\/a>;\u00a0WWIII and the Coming New World Order<\/a>; and\u00a0Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aisle of Ultraprocessed Foods at Walmart (Photo by Thayne Tuason via Wikipedia) COGwriter Ultraprocessed foods are getting more attention. CBS reported the following: Human “biology was never intended to handle” ultraprocessed foods, former FDA head David Kessler warns If you\u2019re reading this, chances are you already try to avoid ultraprocessed foods (UPFs), recognizing UPFs contain […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctrine"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t