Ultra-Processed Foods Make Up More Than 60% of US Kids’ Diets

Americans get more than half of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods, with salty and sugary items accounting for an even bigger portion of kids’ plates, a government study found.

About 62% of childhood diets come from highly processed foods like burgers, pastries, snacks and pizza, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s nutrition survey released Thursday. The same foods have a similar grip on adults, making up about 53% of the calories they consumed during the study that ran from August 2021 through August 2023.

While the results reflect a dip from the last survey ...