CDC: Ultra-Processed Foods Make Up 55% of American Calories
The Facts
- A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report released Thursday found that Americans aged one and older consumed an average of 55% of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods, with youth consuming 61.9% and adults 53% of their calories from these foods.
- Ultra-processed foods are defined as industrially produced items that tend to be hyperpalatable, energy-dense, low in dietary fiber, and contain little or no whole foods while having high amounts of salt, sweeteners, and unhealthy fats.The top sources of ultra-processed food calories for youth were sandwiches including burgers at 7.6% of total calories, followed by sweet bakery products at 6.3%, savory snacks at 4.9%, pizza at 4.7%, and sweetened beverages at 3.9%.
The Spin
Narrative A
Ultra-processed foods are a public health crisis that demands immediate government intervention. These industrial food products are literally poisoning Americans, especially children who get nearly two-thirds of their calories from junk. Evidence suggests that these foods greatly inhibit weight loss and increase cravings, which could make avoiding them the key to a healthier life.
Narrative B
The modest decrease in ultra-processed food consumption over the past decade suggests Americans are becoming more health-conscious and making better dietary choices. Additionally, the ultra-processed label is likely too broad to be meaningful for most Americans, since it lumps pizza and chips together with sandwiches and sliced bread, and most cannot avoid them entirely.
Metaculus Prediction
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