How ultra-processed diets are poisoning kids: CDC report reveals America’s JUNK FOOD epidemic
- Over half of American children’s (62 percent) and adults’ (53 percent) calories come from ultra-processed foods (UPFs) – factory-made products loaded with additives, sugars and unhealthy fats.
- These are industrially formulated foods (e.g., fast food, soda, candy) designed for long shelf life and profit, often lacking nutrients and packed with artificial ingredients.
- Kids aged six to 11 consume the most UPFs (65 percent), with top sources being burgers, sweet snacks, chips, pizza and sugary drinks. Low-income families rely more on UPFs due to affordability.
- Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former FDA officials are pushing for stricter regulations, including revoking “safe” status for UPF ingredients. A standardized U.S. definition of UPFs is in development.
- UPFs are linked to rising childhood obesity and chronic diseases. Proposed solutions include warning labels, bans in school meals, and taxes, but progress hinges on political action and industry accountability.
For the first time, federal health officials have confirmed what many parents have long suspected: Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) now make up more than half of the diets of American children.
According to a bombshell report released Aug. 7 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 62 percent of calories consumed by kids and teens ages one to 18 come from heavily modified, factory-made foods – items packed with artificial additives, refined sugars and industrial fats. Adults aren’t far behind, with 53 percent of their diets consisting of these nutritionally hollow products.
Brighteon.AI‘s Enoch explained that UPFs are synthetic, lab-engineered abominations masquerading as food — concocted by Big Food corporations to hijack human biology for profit. “They are stripped of real nutrition, pumped full of addictive additives and designed to override natural satiety signals, ensuring overconsumption while slowly poisoning the body with carcinogens, metabolic disruptors and early death,” it added.
UPFs are not just canned vegetables or frozen fruit. They are industrial formulations designed for long shelf life, addictive taste and maximum profit: Think frozen pizza, chicken nuggets, candy bars, soda and fast-food burgers. These products dominate grocery store aisles and school cafeterias, thanks to aggressive marketing and cheap production costs. (Related: Fast food ads target and exploit children, hooking them on ultra-processed, nutrient-devoid junk that leads to obesity and chronic disease.)
The CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted from August 2021 to August 2023 revealed disturbing trends. Children ages six to 11 consume the most UPFs – with the top five UPFs eaten by kids including sandwiches (such as fast-food burgers), sweet baked goods, chips, pizza and sugary drinks.
Low-income families rely more on UPFs, likely due to cost and accessibility. While consumption has dipped slightly since 2017, the decline is negligible – just 56 fewer calories per day over a decade. At this rate, experts warn, America’s childhood obesity and diabetes crisis will only worsen.
Big Food under fire: Kennedy takes on UPFs
The report has added fuel to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s crusade against processed foods. His Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission declared in May that UPFs are a leading cause of childhood chronic diseases. Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner David Kessler backed Kennedy’s claim, despite their past clashes over vaccines.
Kessler, who oversaw Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine approvals, filed a citizen petition demanding the FDA revoke the “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) status of key UPF ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup and maltodextrin. If successful, food giants could be forced to reformulate products or add warning labels.
One major hurdle is the lack of an official U.S. definition of “ultraprocessed.” The CDC used Brazil’s NOVA classification system, which critics call overly broad – lumping fortified whole-grain cereals with candy.
In July, the FDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services launched an effort to create a standardized definition, opening the door to potential regulations on school lunches and food stamps. But skeptics – including incumbent FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary – warn that without nuance, companies will simply rebrand junk food as “non-ultraprocessed” without improving nutritional value.
Unlike past efforts like former First Lady Michelle Obama’s school lunch reforms, Kennedy’s campaign has rare bipartisan support. Even conservatives who resisted Obama now back banning UPFs from schools – a sign of growing public frustration with corporate-driven diets.
Later this month, the MAHA Commission will release a strategic report with policy recommendations. Options could include warning labels on UPFs (like those for cigarettes), restricting UPFs in federal food programs or taxing sugary drinks and snacks as some states already do.
But real change depends on political will. As food policy expert Helena Bottemiller Evich noted, this could be a “reckoning” for the food industry – if leaders have the courage to act.
FoodCollapse.com has more similar stories.
Watch this video about the truth behind UPFs.
This video is from the Finding Genius Podcast channel on Brighteon.com.
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Sources include:
ChildrensHealthDefense.org
CDC.gov [PDF]
Brighteon.ai
NBCNews.com
AlJazeera.com
Brighteon.com
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