Half of U.S. Diet Comes From Ultraprocessed Foods Linked to Poor Health Outcomes, Report Shows

The majority of calories consumed by Americans originate from ultraprocessed foods, a dietary pattern linked to various health issues and a key focus in the efforts of US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s initiative, ‘Make America Health Again’.

On Thursday, a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed some improvement over the years but emphasized that more than half of the calories consumed by both children and adults in the United States still stem from ultraprocessed foods.

From August 2021 to August 2023, approximately 53% of adult caloric intake in the US was derived from these highly-processed foods, as per CDC data. The proportion was even higher among children, with an average consumption of around 62%. This figure represents a decline from 2017-2018 when ultraprocessed foods accounted for 56% of the adult diet and nearly 66% among children.

Ultraprocessed foods are typically high in calories, sugar, sodium, and saturated fat while being low in fiber. Studies have linked these foods to weight gain, obesity, and chronic health conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and depression, potentially shortening lifespans.

“There are no health benefits associated with eating ultraprocessed foods,” stated Dr. Tasha Stoiber, a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group, a health advocacy organization who did not review the new CDC report.

The density of calories in small quantities is one reason these processed foods can quickly contribute to high caloric intake, experts suggest.

“It’s unrealistic to avoid all ultraprocessed foods entirely,” Dr. Stoiber noted, citing celebrations involving cake and ice cream, as well as the general pleasure derived from food. “However, as much as possible, shifting our diet towards whole foods will be better for us.”

Food choices are influenced by what is readily available and often cheaper than making meals from scratch, experts say. In fact, up to 70% of the US food supply consists of ultraprocessed products.

The CDC report found that wealthier adults had a significantly smaller share of calories from ultraprocessed foods compared to those with lower family incomes. However, there was less variation among children based on income levels.

Dr. Jamie Chriqui, a senior associate dean at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, who has spent decades researching nutrition policy, points out that many low-income food assistance programs primarily target children and have precedent for restricting ultraprocessed foods.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), previously known as food stamps, is an exception, Chriqui notes, because it caters to the whole family without significant restrictions on how the benefits are used. As a result, families may default to purchasing ultraprocessed foods due to their affordability in communities where healthier options are costlier.

Kennedy has encouraged states to submit waivers aiming to restrict certain foods from SNAP benefits, with at least a dozen states filing for changes this year. Despite the increased consumption of ultraprocessed foods among children compared to adults over the past decade, according to the CDC report, these food items have consistently represented a larger share of children’s diets.

In May, a report by ‘Make America Health Again’ identified ultraprocessed foods as a significant contributor to the “chronic disease epidemic in children.” Although this report contained several errors, experts agree that children are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of these highly-processed foods.

“When you’re young, that is when you are forming food habits which you’re likely to have throughout the rest of your life,” Dr. Stoiber stated. “If that’s what you’re used to, you may continue to eat those foods…leading to not just short-term exposure but a longer-term exposure.”

Children are often targeted with advertising for these processed foods, she added.

Burgers and other sandwiches emerged as the largest contributors of calories from ultraprocessed foods for both children and adults, followed by sweet bakery products. Together, these two categories accounted for nearly one in every seven calories consumed in the average American diet, according to the CDC report.

The report also identified savory snacks and sweetened beverages as top calorie contributors, along with pizza for children. The study was based on responses to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, with foods assessed according to the NOVA system, a widely recognized method of categorizing foods by their level of processing.

Last month, the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture announced plans to collect more information and data on ultraprocessed foods with the aim of establishing a more formal definition.

“Ultra-processed foods are driving our chronic disease epidemic,” Kennedy stated in a recent announcement. “We must act boldly to eliminate the root causes of chronic illness and improve the health of our food supply. Defining ultra-processed foods with a clear, uniform standard will empower us even more to Make America Healthy Again.”