More than half of the calories US kids and adults consume are from ultraprocessed foods

Federal agencies Food & health Chronic diseases See all topics Facebook Tweet Email Link Link Copied! Follow

Most of the American diet is comprised of calories from ultraprocessed foods, which have been linked to a myriad of poor health outcomes and are a key target in US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda to Make America Health Again.

A new report published Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that there has been some improvement in recent years, but ultraprocessed foods still account for more than half of the calories consumed by both children and adults in the United States.

From August 2021 to August 2023, about 53% of the calories consumed by adults in the US came from ultraproce