More than half of U.S. caloric intake comes from processed foods

American adults and kids over age 1 got more than half of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods like hamburgers, pizza and sweetened drinks between 2021 and 2023, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Why it matters: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made cleaning up the U.S. diet a priority, though critics say he's mostly extracted pledges from companies to swap out single ingredients, which won't make much difference in health.

The big picture: The CDC said that ultra-processed food consumption actually declined from 2017 to 2023 for all age groups. • But it still made up an average of 62% of kids' calories and 53% of adults' in the latest study period. • Adults over age 60 had the least ultra-processed food intake, while yout