CDC Data Shows Americans Still Get Most of Their Calories from Ultra-Processed Foods

Americans may be eating slightly fewer ultra‑processed foods than in past years, but new federal data shows these products still make up a commanding portion of the national diet.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported last Thursday that between 2021 and 2023, ultra-processed foods made up, on average, 53% of daily calories consumed by adults and about 62% for children under 18. The figures, released through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), represent a modest drop from 56% for adults and 66% for children recorded in 2017–2018, according to The New York Times.

Ultra-processed foods — products made through industrial methods or with ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, preservatives, and artificial flavors — include familiar items such as soda, chips, candy, hot dogs, crackers, and boxed cereals. As NPR noted, these foods often contain added fat, sugar, and salt to enhance flavor and extend shelf life, but are linked to health issues like obesity, heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes.

UPFs are industrially produced, imitating real food but made from fragmented ingredients combined with chemical additives. About 73% of the U.S. food market comprises UPFs, which on average are 52% cheaper than non‑UPF alternatives—making them especially prevalent among lower‑income families.

Nutrition experts caution that the small dip in UPF consumption is not a public health victory. “It’s still true that more than half of the daily calories Americans consume come from ultraprocessed foods,” Anne M. Williams, lead author of the CDC report, told The New York Times.

The data also highlights a persistent gap between adults and children. NPR reported that while adults consumed about 53% of their calories from these foods, children and teens took in nearly 62% — underscoring concerns that younger generations are more heavily dependent on manufactured, nutrient-poor options.

Public awareness of the risks associated with ultra-processed foods has been growing. In 2019, a landmark National Institutes of Health study found that these foods can cause people to overeat, and subsequent research has connected them to serious chronic illnesses. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made cutting back on ultra-processed foods a central theme of his “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, though the latest CDC data does not yet reflect the movement’s more recent messaging.

While the trend is moving in the right direction, the numbers suggest that for most Americans — and especially children — ultra-processed foods remain a dietary mainstay. As The New York Times put it, the shift “is far from a public health win.”

Litigation on the Rise: UPFs and Health Risks in the Courts

Growing health concerns over UPFs have sparked legal action across the U.S., with plaintiffs and attorneys likening the fight to early tobacco litigation. A groundbreaking lawsuit filed in December 2024 accuses major food companies—including Kraft Heinz, Mondelez, and Coca‑Cola—of engineering products that are addictive and specifically targeting children in the same way tobacco firms once did.

Levin Papantonio law firm is investigating ultra‑processed foods lawsuits involving children diagnosed with serious health issues such as Type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, potentially tied to UPF consumption. Cases often target individuals under 30 who developed Type 2 diabetes or fatty liver disease before age 18 and required hospital care. The firm positions these lawsuits as efforts to hold corporations accountable—and to spark systemic change in food marketing and production.

At the Mass Torts Made Perfect (MTMP) Spring 2025 conference, trial attorney Mike Papantonio described the UPF litigation as “the next tobacco,” denouncing deceptive marketing that disguises harmful products as healthy—labels such as “high‑protein,” “low fat,” or “organic” that conceal their dangers.