The consumption of ultra-processed foods is on a slow decline, though most Americans — and especially children — are getting most of their calories from unhealthy, manufactured foods, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The mean percentage of total calories consumed from ultra-processed foods (UPFs) eaten by everyone age 1 and older was 55%, during August 2021 and 2023, when the National Center for Health Statistics conducted its survey. 

The Trump administration has blamed ultra-processed food for many chronic diseases, including diabetes, and the increasing availability of UPFs has helped drive obesity rates worldwide.

But there is no standard definition of what constitutes an ultra-processed food, though they are generally energy rich foods with little nutritional value, containing added fats, sugars and chemicals to preserve their shelf life and make them very palatable. In short, they are manufactured to be cheap, convenient and tasty.

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