How concerned are you about the potential long-term health effects associated with frequent consumption of ultra-processed foods (e.g., obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease)?

Background

Ultra-processed foods — industrially manufactured products like packaged snacks, sodas, frozen meals, and sweetened cereals — have become a dominant part of the American diet. According to a 2025 data brief from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, the average American gets about 55 percent of daily calories from ultra-processed foods, with youth consuming roughly 62 percent. A growing body of research links heavy consumption of these foods to serious health conditions. A 2024 review of 45 meta-analyses cited by Stanford Medicine found convincing evidence that diets high in ultra-processed foods increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 50 percent and the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 40 percent. The issue has moved into the policy arena: in July 2025, the FDA and USDA jointly issued a Request for Information seeking public input to establish the first uniform federal definition of ultra-processed foods, and the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released in January 2026, advise Americans to limit highly processed foods for the first time. Several states, including California and Arizona, have also passed laws restricting ultra-processed foods in public schools.

Those who support stronger action argue that the scientific evidence is now robust enough to warrant policy intervention. A major three-paper series published in The Lancet in November 2025 by more than 40 international experts concluded that ultra-processed foods are a leading contributor to chronic disease worldwide and called for coordinated government regulation, including warning labels and marketing restrictions. The American Heart Association issued a 2025 science advisory noting that most ultra-processed foods are characterized by poor nutritional quality and are high in saturated fats, added sugars, and sodium. On the other side, food industry groups and some scientists urge caution. The Consumer Brands Association has warned that classifying foods as unhealthy simply because they are processed misleads consumers and could worsen health disparities by stigmatizing affordable, convenient products. The International Dairy Foods Association notes that many nutritious foods — including milk, yogurt, and cheese — undergo processing for safety and accessibility. Some researchers also question whether the NOVA classification system, which categorizes foods by processing level rather than nutritional content, is precise enough to guide regulation, since not all ultra-processed foods have the same health profile.

The stakes are considerable. Diet-related chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity are among the leading causes of death and disability in the United States, and the FDA describes the nation as facing a growing epidemic of preventable diet-related chronic disease. Research from the National Institutes of Health and others suggests that the health burden falls disproportionately on lower-income communities, which tend to consume more ultra-processed foods due to their affordability and wide availability. How policymakers, the food industry, and consumers navigate the coming years — whether through new labeling requirements, school food reforms, product reformulation, or expanded access to fresh foods — will shape the dietary landscape and public health outcomes for millions of Americans.