Jennifer Mendoza
Research expert covering health, pharma and medtech
The health effects of ultra-processed food - Statistics & Facts
Ultra-processed foods are ubiquitous in the United States, accounting for around 70 percent of the U.S. food supply and 60 percent of adult diets. However, the impact of ultra-processed foods on human health is a relatively new topic and much has yet to be discovered about which specific foods are harmful, to what degree they are harmful, or even why they are so harmful. Many people in the United States still do not even understand what ultra-processed foods are, with a survey from 2024 finding only 32 percent of adults were familiar with the term.
