According to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the use of ultra-processed foods is slowly declining, but the majority of Americans, particularly children, still acquire the majority of their calories from harmful, manufactured foods.
In August 2021 and 2023, the National Center for Health Statistics surveyed people aged 1 and older, and found that the average percentage of total calories from ultra-processed foods (UFPs) was 55%. The survey revealed a consistent age-based disparity: the mean consumption of UPFs was higher, accounting for 61.9% of calories, among those aged 1 to 18. 53% of those aged 19 and above consumed less.
Cheap, convenient and tasty
Ultra-processed foods have been criticized by the Trump administration for a number of chronic illnesses, including diabetes, and their growing availability has contributed to the global obesity epidemic.
Although ultra-processed meals are typically high in energy and low in nutritional value, with additional fats, sugars, and chemicals to prolong their shelf life and make them more appealing, there is no universally accepted definition of what an ultra-processed product is. To put it briefly, they are made to be affordable, practical, and delicious. A significant amount of the ultra-processed meals consumed were snacks, sugary drinks, and sandwiches, especially hamburgers.
Over the last 20 years, the U.S. consumption trend has been somewhat erratic. According to the study’s data brief, UPF consumption decreased for a few years after 2013, then rose, and has been gradually declining since the survey’s most recent administration in 2017–2018.
According to CDC spokeswoman Brian Tsai, who talked to NPR, the study was carried out every two years from 1999 to 2000 until the pandemic broke the cycle.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of health and human services, wants to reduce the amount of highly processed food consumed in the United States. Here is some recent NPR coverage of the subject:Copyright 2025 NPR
