Ultraprocessed Foods: What Are They, And Are They Bad For You?

Many of Americans’ go-to snacks and quick meal options are targeted in the Trump administration’s quest to “Make America Healthy Again.”

They include staples like sugary breakfast cereals, jellies and sauces, frozen pizzas, potato chips, sodas and even ice cream. They fall into a classification known as ultraprocessed foods, which means they are made mostly from substances extracted from other foods, processed and reassembled to create shelf-stable, tasty, convenient and relatively cheap meals.

Ultraprocessed foods dominate the nation’s food supply, making up about 60 percent of the U.S. diet. It’s even higher for kids and teenagers — about two-thirds of what they eat.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s new health secretary, has repeatedly argued that highly chemically processed foods are “poisoning” the country and are the chief culprit behind an epidemic of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and autoimmune disorders.

“I will do everything in my power to put the health of Americans back on track,” Kennedy told lawmakers during his Senate confirmation hearings last month.

Below are five to know about ultraprocessed foods and the role they play in daily meals.

Are Ultraprocessed Foods Harmful?

It’s tricky.

Ultraprocessed foods have been linked to then negative health problems Kennedy mentioned, but the science isn’t conclusive. One recent study showed that eating ultraprocessed foods may increase the risk of early death.

Still, according to health experts who spoke with The Associated Press, most research has found only connections, not proof, and can't say for certain if the foods themselves caused the negative effects. It could be there’s something else about the people who eat these foods that might be responsible.

As a group, ultraprocessed foods tend to be higher in sodium, saturated fats and sugar, but lower in fiber and protein. The research is unclear whether these nutrients are driving the effects.

Can Ultraprocessed Foods Be Healthy?

Most foods are processed in some way, whether by freezing, grinding, fermentation, pasteurization or other means. They’re classified on a four-tier scale according to the amount of processing they undergo, not nutritional content.

At the top of the scale are foods created through industrial processes and with ingredients such as additives, colors and preservatives that can’t be duplicated in a home kitchen.

“These are most, but not all, of the packaged foods you see,” Hall said.

Such foods are often made to be both cheap and irresistibly delicious, Dr. Neena Prasad, director of the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Food Policy Program, told the AP.

“They have just the right combination of sugar, salt and fat and you just can’t stop eating them,” Prasad said

However, the level of processing alone doesn't determine whether a food is unhealthy or not. Whole-grain bread, yogurt, tofu and infant formula are all highly processed, for instance, but they’re also nutritious.

What Should Consumers Avoid?

Because utraprocessed foods make up such a large part of Americans’ diets, avoiding them is difficult — even if it were clear which ones pose the greatest health risk, according to Aviva Musicus, science director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which advocates for food policies.

The best consumers may be able to do is to check labels for ingredients and make choices that align with current dietary guidelines, she suggested.

Read the label carefully. You’ll find ingredients that aren’t in your kitchen cupboard, such as bulking agents, hydrolyzed protein isolates, color stabilizers and humectants.

“We have really good evidence that added sugar is not great for us. We have evidence that high-sodium foods are not great for us,” Musicus told The AP. “We have great evidence that fruits and vegetables, which are minimally processed, are really good for us.”

Should These Foods Be Regulated?

Prasad and other advocates argue the large body of research linking ultraprocessed foods to poor health should be more than enough to spur the government and industry to change policies.

She backs taxes on sugary drinks, stricter sodium restrictions for manufacturers, and limits on marketing of such foods to kids.

“Do we want to risk our kids getting sicker while we wait for this perfect evidence to emerge?” Prasad said.

Last year, former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf told a conference of food policy experts that ultraprocessed foods are “one of the most complex things I've ever dealt with.”

But, he concluded, “We’ve got to have the scientific basis and then we’ve got to follow through.”

Will SNAP Deny These Foods?

Kennedy wants to remove ultraprocessed foods from federal programs such as the $113 billion Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

“The one place that I would say we need to really change policy is the SNAP program and food stamps and in school lunches,” Kennedy told Fox News host Laura Ingraham last month. “There, the federal government in many cases is paying for it. And we shouldn’t be subsidizing people to eat poison.”

However, Americans overall already say it’s becoming too expensive to eat healthy. In a 2022 Cleveland Clinic 46 percent of respondents said the perceived high costs of healthy food was the biggest barrier to a healthy diet.

For SNAP recipients, the problem is magnified.

A recent USDA report found that nearly 9 out of 10 people enrolled in the federal nutrition program reported challenges in eating a healthy diet, with cost, time and transportation representing key barriers.

Not only are these ultraprocessed foods cheaper overall, they last longer, making them a practical choice for struggling individuals.

Food processors argue that processing boosts food safety and supplies, and offers a cheap, convenient way to provide a diverse and nutritious diet.

Kennedy’s suggestion isn’t novel. Past efforts have shown it’s not easy to remove foods from SNAP.

For one thing, the program is run by the Agriculture Department, not the Health and Human Services agency, and it is administered at the state level. SNAP is authorized by the federal Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, which states that benefits can be used for “any food or food product intended for human consumption,” except alcohol, tobacco and hot foods, including those prepared for immediate consumption.

The removal of ultraprocessed foods from those covered by SNAP would either require congressional action — or, states could get waivers that allow them to restrict purchases, Katie Bergh, a senior policy analyst for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research group, told the AP.

New Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has said she favors stripping certain ultraprocessed foods from SNAP.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.