Most Americans get over half daily calories from ultra-processed foods

A new federal report found the majority of Americans get more than half of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods, with burgers and sandwiches, sweet bakery products, savory snacks, pizza and sweetened beverages being among the top sources. 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said between August 2021 and August 2023, American youth “consumed 61.9% of their daily calories, on average, from ultra-processed foods, while adults consumed 53.0% of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods.” 

“Ultra-processed foods tend to be hyperpalatable, energy-dense, low in dietary fiber, and contain little or no whole foods, while having high amounts of salt, sweeteners, and unhealthy fats,” according to the CDC. “Ultra-processed food consumption has been associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.” 

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Fox News earlier this year, “We are poisoning ourselves and it’s coming principally from these ultra-processed foods.” 

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Potato chips are displayed at a store in New York, on March 25, 2021.  (AP/Mark Lennihan)

The report said, “During August 2021–August 2023, the mean percentage of total calories consumed from ultra-processed foods among those age 1 year and older was 55.0%.” 

Young children consumed fewer calories from ultra-processed foods than older kids, the report found. Adults 60 and older consumed fewer calories from those sources than younger adults. Low-income adults consumed more ultra-processed foods than those with higher incomes. 

Consumption of ultra-processed foods also appeared to dip slightly over the past decade. Among adults, total calories from those sources fell from about 56% in 2013-2014 and from nearly 66% for kids in 2017-2018. 

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Pizza was one of the top sources of calories from ultra-processed foods among youth, the CDC said. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“The top five sources of calories from ultra-processed foods among youth were sandwiches (including burgers), which contributed 7.6% of total calories, followed by sweet bakery products (6.3%), savory snacks (4.9%), pizza (4.7%), and sweetened beverages (3.9%),” the report said. 

“Similarly, the top five sources of calories from ultra-processed foods among adults were sandwiches (including burgers), which contributed 8.6% of total calories, followed by sweet bakery products (5.2%), sweetened beverages (4.4%), savory snacks (3.4%), and breads, rolls, and tortillas (3.1%),” it added. 

Sweetened beverages also were a top source of calories from ultra-processed foods, according to the CDC. (iStock)

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U.S. health officials recently said there are concerns over whether current definitions “accurately capture” the range of foods that may affect health. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Agriculture Department recently issued a request for information to develop a new, uniform definition of ultra-processed foods for products in the U.S. food supply. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.