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Between August 2021 and August 2023, a new report from the CDC found that ultra-processed foods make up over half (51%) of the daily calories consumed by the average American adult, and 62% of the calories consumed by the average American child.
The rate rose as high as two-thirds between the ages of 6-11, before falling one-and-a-half percent for children ages 12 to 18.
As may be expected, percentages of calories from ultra-processed foods were lower among wealthier households, but disturbingly remained constant for children of all income brackets.
Addressing ultra-processed foods in the American diet sits high on the list of priorities for the Make American Healthy Again movement spawned during Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and led by his eventual pick of for Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“Ultra-processed foods are driving our chronic disease epidemic,” Kennedy said in a statement at the time of the report’s release. “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”.
Definition is important, because there is no accepted definition for ultra-processed foods. For most scientists, nutritionists—planners of all sorts—parents, and influencers, it’s very much a case of ‘know it when you see it,’ even if whole wheat pasta with an olive tapenade undergoes considerable processing steps from the viewpoint of wheat grains and olives.
In general though, researchers like those who conducted this study and others which WaL has reported on before, tend to identify ultra-processed foods as those deriving significant amount of calories from added sugar or added vegetable oils and other fats, while also containing extra sodium, shelf stabilizers and preservatives, food dyes, and or emulsifiers.
The CDC defined them as being “hyperpalatable, energy-dense, low in dietary fiber, and contain little or no whole foods, while having high amounts of salt, sweeteners, and unhealthy fats”.
“There are no health benefits associated with eating ultra-processed foods,” Dr. Tasha Stoiber, a senior scientist with Environmental Working Group, a health advocacy organization, told CNN without reviewing the new CDC report.
“When you’re young, that is when you are forming food habits which you’re likely to have throughout the rest of your life. So it’s a critical time of development that sets you up for all the rest of your life stages,” Stoiber said. “If that’s what you’re used to, you may continue to eat those foods…leading to not just the short-term exposure, but a longer-term exposure”.
All this week on the National Mall in Washington DC, the Great American Farmer’s Market 2025 has seen a variety of events split between HHS and the United States Dept. of Agriculture for the promotion of American agriculture, healthy eating, and more.
Among the events was so-called “MAHA Monday” where USDA Sect. Brooke Rollins joined Kennedy and various state governors in signing a regulation that allowed for these states to write waivers limiting the use of welfare distributed through the popular federal ‘food stamps’ program (SNAP) for the purchasing of “unhealthy” or “non-nutritious” food items.
The SNAP welfare payments amount to a few hundred dollars a month loaded onto an EBT cart that can be spent for any sort of grocery item, and Dr. Stoiber speculated that anyone receiving them will likely be looking to extend those food dollars as far as they can, meaning they’re picking packaged and cheaper items, many of which will inevitably fall within the category of ultra-processed foods.
“For years, SNAP has used taxpayer dollars to fund soda and candy—products that fuel America’s diabetes and chronic disease epidemics,” said Kennedy in the statement. “These waivers help put real food back at the center of the program and empower states to lead the charge in protecting public health. I thank these governors who have stepped up to request waivers, and I encourage others to follow their lead. This is how we Make America Healthy Again”.
The SNAP waivers were signed for West Virginia, Florida, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, while waivers for Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Arkansas, Idaho, and Utah were signed earlier this year. WaL
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PICTURED ABOVE: USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins (right) and HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy (right center) at the Great American Farmers Market. PC: USDA via X
