The following information is from Children’s Health Defense.

Ultraprocessed foods now account for more than half of zUS children’s daily calories, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The report found that 62% of calories consumed by children and teens ages 1-18 came from ultraprocessed foods. Children ages 6–11 consumed the most (65%). Top foods included sandwiches such as burgers, sweet bakery products, savory snacks, pizza, and sweetened beverages. US adults weren’t far behind, with 53% of their diet made up of ultraprocessed foods.

The CDC analyzed data collected between August 2021 and August 2023 from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Former FDA Commissioner David Kessler, in an interview with The New York Times, said he is backing US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s battle against ultraprocessed foods, even though they disagree on vaccines.

“This is the great public health challenge facing us. … Twenty-five percent of American men are going to develop heart failure. Thirty to 40 percent of us are going to be diabetic. Twenty-five percent of us are going to have a stroke. And the primary driver of that is our diet and what we are eating.”

Kessler has submitted a citizen petition to the FDA urging the agency to declare ingredients such as high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, maltodextrin, and certain refined flours no longer “generally recognized as safe”. The petition, which the FDA must answer within 180 days, could lead to reformulations or warning labels on many everyday products, including cereals, breads, protein bars, yogurts, and plant-based meats.

Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission previously concluded ultraprocessed foods are a leading driver of the childhood chronic disease epidemic. A follow-up report with strategies to address the problem is expected this month.

The definition of “ultraprocessed” foods remains debated. The CDC used the NOVA classification system, though critics say it lumps healthier items like tofu or fortified cereals together with candy and soda. Last month, HHS, FDA, and USDA announced a joint effort to create a uniform federal definition, opening the process to public comments.

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said:

“We do not see ultraprocessed foods as foods to be banned. … We see them as foods to be defined so that markets can compete based on health.”

Commentators say Kennedy’s push has bipartisan support, with growing political will to remove ultraprocessed foods from public school lunches.

For more information, read the full article here.