Three McAllen parents — two of them physicians — recently brought their concerns about ultra-processed foods on school menus directly to the McAllen ISD school board. Telemundo 40 Noticias was there to capture it, interviewing parents and airing the story in a segment that resonated with families across the Rio Grande Valley. The fact that two doctors stood at that podium speaks volumes — this concern has moved well beyond fringe opinion and into mainstream medical conversation.
Their concerns align with what scientists worldwide have been warning for years. Writing in The Guardian, Prof. Carlos Monteiro — the nutritional scientist who coined the term “ultra-processed food” — called for tobacco-style warning labels on these products and stated plainly that sales of UPFs in schools and health facilities should be banned.
Now the federal government is saying the same thing. The HHS’s new dietary guidance at RealFood.gov marks the first time official U.S. policy explicitly tells Americans to avoid highly processed food, warning that it has hollowed out our health, driving obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and early death. The numbers are hard to ignore: nearly 70% of an American child’s diet is now classified as ultra-processed — in other countries, that figure is below 20%.
The parents who stood at that school board podium are asking the right questions at exactly the right time. Children spend a large part of their day at school, and the meals served in our cafeterias are a public health decision made on behalf of every child in the district. They deserve a real response — and real food.
View the full meeting here:
Feed McAllen ISD Students Real Food
We’re asking McAllen ISD to eliminate added sugar from breakfast, limit fried and ultra-processed foods, and guarantee fresh produce at every meal — by the start of the 2026–2027 school year.