"People will be very disappointed by that," she said. "I think they'll say this is a really important issue, but ... we don't want to get it wrong."

In the meantime, various studies are underway that could give more nuance to the connection between processed food and health. Many of them could generate more headlines that keep ultra-processing in the public eye, and food companies on the defensive.

"We need to capitalize on this public awareness and this interest to generate the kinds of data that we actually need to make actionable changes," said Kevin Hall, a National Institutes of Health researcher. "If it turns out, at the end of the day, that this concept adds nothing beyond what we already know what makes up a healthy diet, we need the data to show that."

Even if the dietary guidelines don't end up adopting any language around ultra-processed foods, front-of-package labeling could influence how consumers shop.

Sen. Bernie Sanders told the FDA earlier this year that strong health warnings are needed for foods "loaded up with sugar, salt and saturated fats that are purposely designed to be overeaten."

Harmening said such labeling requirements are becoming more common around the world, and General Mills has "competed with all kinds of regulatory environments."

"It's not the first time we've seen that movie," he said. "The key to having something constructive when labeling products is to make sure it's based on science, not just the politics of the day or what's convenient."

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