Ultra-processed foods dominate US diets, prompting regulatory and consumer shifts

As ultra-processed foods become a staple in American diets, health experts and regulators race to redefine, reformulate, and educate to curb their widespread consumption and associated health risks.

Ultra-processed foods have moved from a niche nutrition term to a mainstream concern, in part because they are now woven deeply into everyday eating patterns. Kristina Petersen, an associate professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State, said these products are typically industrially formulated items containing additives such as dyes, preservatives and flavour enhancers that are not commonly used in home cooking. She contrasted them with foods that are processed for basic safety or storage, such as canned vegetables with salt added or pasteurised milk.

The health worries around them are broad. Petersen said research has linked higher intake of ultra-processed foods with obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers, while clinical trials have found that diets heavy in these foods can lead people to eat more and gain unwanted weight. Health organisations including the US Food and Drug Administration have also pointed to the same pattern, and the agency says it is working towards a more uniform definition so regulators and consumers can better identify what counts as ultra-processed.

For parents and other shoppers trying to make sense of labels, Petersen recommended focusing on the nutrition facts panel rather than relying only on the ingredients list. Many ultra-processed products are high in added sugar, saturated fat and sodium, and those numbers can be a more useful guide than long ingredient names that may simply reflect scientific terminology. Products such as sweets, biscuits, crisps, processed meats and sugary drinks are commonly cited as examples, though processed food itself is not automatically unhealthy if it has been preserved for safety or shelf life.

The debate has intensified because ultra-processed foods are so widespread. Petersen said children in the United States get more than 60% of their daily energy from them, while adults get just over half, and the FDA similarly estimates they make up about 70% of the US food supply. That scale helps explain why governments and food companies are responding: some states are considering restrictions in school meals, and manufacturers are reformulating products to avoid additives that may fall foul of stricter rules. Petersen’s advice was not to aim for perfection but to make small, workable changes, such as choosing canned or frozen fruit and vegetables when fresh options are too costly or spoil too quickly.