The most processed foods in the modern diet are those classified as “ultra-processed,” a category that includes soft drinks, packaged snacks, candy, mass-produced bread, instant noodles, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and many breakfast cereals. In the United States, these foods make up 55% of all calories consumed by people age one and older, according to CDC data from 2021 to 2023. Understanding what makes these foods different from other packaged items can help you make sharper choices at the grocery store.
What “Ultra-Processed” Actually Means
Not all processing is equal. Chopping vegetables, pasteurizing milk, and canning beans all count as processing, but none of these raise the same health concerns as ultra-processed foods. The difference comes down to how far the food has been transformed from its original ingredients and what’s been added along the way.
A widely used framework called the NOVA classification sorts all foods into four groups: unprocessed or minimally processed (fresh fruit, eggs, plain meat), culinary ingredients (oil, butter, sugar, salt), processed foods (canned fish, cheese, simple bread), and ultra-processed foods. That fourth group is the one researchers worry about. Ultra-processed foods go beyond adding salt, sugar, or fat. They incorporate artificial colors, artificial flavors, preservatives, thickeners, emulsifiers, and artificial sweeteners to extend shelf life, improve texture, and make foods more appealing. Multiple industrial steps and long ingredient lists are the hallmarks.
The Foods at the Top of the List
Ultra-processed foods span nearly every aisle of a typical supermarket. The most common examples include:
- Sugary drinks: carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, sweetened fruit punches
- Packaged snacks: chips, cheese puffs, flavored crackers
- Candy and chocolate: most commercial confectionery
- Frozen and ready-to-eat meals: pre-prepared pizzas, pasta dishes, pies
- Reconstituted meat products: chicken nuggets, fish sticks, hot dogs, sausages, burgers, luncheon meats
- Breakfast cereals: especially sweetened, flavored, or colored varieties
- Mass-produced breads and buns: the soft, shelf-stable loaves found in most grocery stores
- Sweet baked goods: cookies, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes
- Instant products: powdered soups, instant noodles, instant desserts
- Spreads: margarine and similar shelf-stable spreads
- Ice cream: most commercial varieties
How to Spot Ultra-Processing on a Label
The simplest test is the ingredient list. If you see substances you wouldn’t find in a home kitchen, the product is almost certainly ultra-processed. Look for things like high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, protein isolates, modified starches, and anything described as an emulsifier, humectant, or flavor enhancer. The longer and more unfamiliar the ingredient list, the more processing has occurred.
Bread is a useful example. A loaf from a bakery might contain flour, water, yeast, and salt. A mass-produced supermarket loaf often includes dough conditioners, emulsifiers, preservatives, and added sugars. Research comparing industrial, artisanal, and homemade breads found that industrial recipes consistently contained more ingredients and more additives, even though the basic production steps were similar. Both products look like bread, but they sit in very different categories.
The same logic applies to meat. Canned tuna preserved in oil and salt is a processed food. Breaded fish sticks, with their coating of modified starches, flavoring agents, and stabilizers, cross into ultra-processed territory. A simple cured ham is processed. Luncheon meat packed with fillers, colorants, and preservatives is ultra-processed.
How Much Americans Are Eating
CDC data collected between August 2021 and August 2023 shows that ultra-processed foods account for 55% of total calories among Americans age one and older. Children and teens consume even more: kids ages 6 to 11 get nearly 65% of their calories from ultra-processed sources, and adolescents ages 12 to 18 get about 63%. Young children ages 1 to 5 come in at 56%.
Among adults, consumption drops gradually with age. Adults 19 to 39 average about 54% of calories from ultra-processed foods, those 40 to 59 average 53%, and adults 60 and older average about 52%. Income plays a role too. Adults in the highest income bracket get about 50% of their calories from ultra-processed foods, while those in lower-income groups average closer to 55%. There has been a slight downward trend over the past decade: adults went from about 56% of calories from ultra-processed foods in 2013 to 2014 down to 53% in the most recent data.
Why This Category Matters for Health
The health concerns around ultra-processed foods are well documented. A 2024 science advisory from the American Heart Association reviewed the accumulated evidence and found that observational studies consistently link higher ultra-processed food intake with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and early death. A meta-analysis of prospective studies identified a dose-response relationship, meaning the more ultra-processed food people eat, the higher their risk climbs.
The numbers are striking. Comparing the highest consumers to the lowest, high ultra-processed food intake was associated with a 25% to 58% greater risk of cardiometabolic conditions like heart disease and diabetes, and a 21% to 66% greater risk of dying from any cause. An umbrella review rated the evidence “convincing” for cardiovascular death, “highly suggestive” for diabetes and obesity, and “suggestive” for other cardiovascular problems.
The reasons likely go beyond just sugar, salt, and fat content. Ultra-processed foods tend to be calorie-dense but nutrient-poor, easy to overeat, and designed to be consumed quickly. The industrial additives themselves, particularly certain emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners, are also under scrutiny for potential effects on gut health and metabolism.
What Different Countries Recommend
Governments are starting to respond differently to the evidence. Brazil’s dietary guidelines, published in 2014, are widely considered the gold standard. Rather than focusing on individual nutrients, they organize recommendations around the degree of food processing. The core advice is to build meals from fresh and minimally processed foods and to categorically avoid ultra-processed products.
The United States has taken a different approach. The 2025 to 2030 U.S. Dietary Guidelines focus more on nutrient targets and food groups than on processing levels. This gap has drawn criticism from researchers who argue that the processing framework better reflects how people actually eat and shop. For now, if you’re in the U.S., no official guideline tells you to limit ultra-processed foods by name, but the underlying science points clearly in that direction.
Practical Ways to Reduce Ultra-Processed Foods
You don’t need to eliminate every packaged food. The goal is to shift the balance so that ultra-processed items aren’t the foundation of your diet. Start by scanning ingredient lists. If a product has more than five or six ingredients and includes names you don’t recognize, there’s likely a less-processed alternative on the same shelf.
Swap instant oatmeal packets (often loaded with flavorings and sweeteners) for plain oats you flavor yourself. Choose whole cuts of chicken or fish over breaded nuggets and fish sticks. Replace soft drinks with water, sparkling water, or unsweetened tea. Pick bread with a short ingredient list, or buy from a bakery. Cook simple meals from whole ingredients a few nights a week, even if you rely on convenience foods the rest of the time. Small, consistent shifts in what fills your cart will move the needle more than any single dramatic overhaul.