Americans eating slightly less ultra-processed foods but still get most of calories from them
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In the US, between August 2021 and August 2023, the mean percentage of total calories consumed from UPFs among those aged one year and older was 55 per cent.
PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO
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- US consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is declining among adults and children, but remains high at 55% overall (CDC data, Aug 7).
- People aged one to 18 consume more UPFs (61.9%) than adults (53%). Sandwiches and sweet bakery products are the top sources for both groups.
- Health Secretary Kennedy is campaigning for diet reform; some states are restricting junk food access for food stamp recipients.
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WASHINGTON – Americans still get most of their calories from ultra-processed foods, but consumption is trending down among both adults and children, official data showed on Aug 7.
The survey results from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) come as US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr promotes diet reform, and suggest that awareness of the risks around burgers and sodas may already have been taking hold before he came to office.
Between August 2021 and August 2023, the mean percentage of total calories consumed from ultra-processed foods (UPFs) among those aged one year and older was 55 per cent.
That still places the US at or near the top of the table globally, alongside countries like Britain and Canada.
Among Western nations, Italy consistently records lower UPF consumption – less than 20 per cent, according to a paper in 2024 in Public Health Nutrition that credited the Mediterranean diet.
Breaking down the new US results by age, the percentage of energy consumed from UPFs was 61.9 per cent for people aged one to 18, and 53 per cent for adults – a decline from 65.6 per cent and 56 per cent respectively during the last survey period of 2017 to 2018.
Former US first lady Michelle Obama spearheaded a campaign in the 2010s to encourage healthier eating and more exercise, while a landmark 2019 study in Cell Metabolism found people ate more calories when exposed to UPFs.
UPFs
Such foods have been linked with ill health effects including higher risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.
A study published in Nature this week randomised 55 adults in Britain who were overweight or obese to eat either minimally-processed food (MPF) diets or UPFs – with significantly greater weight loss in the MPF group after eight weeks.
Sandwiches, including burgers, topped the list of UPFs for both US youth and adults, followed by sweet bakery products such as doughnuts. Sweetened beverages were high up on both lists.
Since taking office, Mr Kennedy has launched a pressure campaign on the industry to remove synthetic food dyes, which appears to be paying dividends, with cereal maker Kellogg’s one of the latest brands to sign on.
A dozen states, meanwhile, have moved to restrict access of people with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme benefits – known colloquially as food stamps – to junk food at grocery stores. AFP
