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By Matthew Rees

Food and Health Fact #32: U.S. calorie consumption and ultra-processed foods

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A survey of more than 9,300 Americans showed that they get 57.9 percent of their calories from ultra-processed foods, according to a 2016 study published in BMJ Open. These foods were defined as “industrial formulations which . . . include substances not used in culinary preparations, in particular additives used to imitate sensorial qualities of minimally processed foods and their culinary preparations.” The researchers found that the most common ultra-processed foods were breads; soft drinks, fruit drinks and milk-based drinks; cakes, cookies and pies; salty snacks; frozen and shelf-stable plates; pizza and breakfast cereals.