CDC: Americans Get More than Half of Calories from Ultra-Processed Foods

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) concluded in a recent analysis of dietary data that more than half of the calories Americans consume come from ultra-processed foods (UPFs). These findings, the first of their kind published by the federal agency, corroborate years of research on the matter.  

The report also comes at a time when the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) are working to create a standard definition for UPFs in order to more effectively assess their role in chronic disease.

“Ultra-processed foods are driving our chronic disease epidemic,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., at the time. “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.”

Study Details

According to CDC, these foods tend to be hyperpalatable, energy-dense, low in dietary fiber, and contain little to no whole foods. They tend to be high in salt, sweeteners, and unhealthy fats.

The report estimated the UPF intakes of Americans who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2021 and 2023, by top caloric contributors and mean percentage of total calories, stratified by age, sex, family income, and ten-year trends.

The mean percentage of total calories consumed from ultra-processed foods among those 1 year or older was 55%. Those between the ages of 1 and 18 consumed 61.9% of their calories from ultra-processed foods, while those 19 and older consumed 53% of their calories from ultra-processed foods.

Among adults, those with the highest family incomes tended to have a lower percentage of total calories consumed coming from ultra-processed foods. However, income levels didn’t impact proportional levels of ultra-processed food consumption among children.

The most common sources of calories from ultra-processed foods were sandwiches (including burgers), sweet bakery products, savory snacks, and sweetened beverages among both youth and adults.

Compared to a period spanning 2017-2018, ultra-processed food consumption among adults has decreased, from 65.6% to 61.9% among youth and from 55.8% to 53% among adults, respectively.

“Ultra-processed food consumption has been associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality,” the report stated. “Most dietary guidelines, including the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025, recommend eating a variety of whole foods and limiting intake of foods with added sugars.”