Children aged between two and five in the UK now derive around half their daily calories from ultra-processed foods (UPFs), according to a new study.
Forty-seven percent of toddlers’ calories come from UPFs, rising to 59% by the age of seven.
The new study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, found that the most commonly consumed UPFs for toddlers were flavoured yoghurts and wholegrain cereals, which some still consider to be healthy. By the age of seven, the most commonly consumed UPFs were sweet cereals, white bread and puddings.
Senior author Professor Clare Llewellyn, of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, said, “Eating patterns in the early years are important, as they help set habits that can persist through childhood and into adulthood. This was reflected in our findings, with 21-month-olds who ate more ultra-processed foods also likely to be higher consumers of ultra-processed foods at the age of seven.”
Scientists have linked the consumption of ultra-processed foods to all of the prevailing chronic diseases of modernity, from obesity and diabetes to cancer, autism and behavioural conditions, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made consumption of UPFs, along with environmental pollution, one of the key pillars of his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, which he will pursue under a new Trump administration. Kennedy has vowed to improve Americans’ eating habits, providing them with education and access to better foods, as well as improving the way foods are regulated by organizations like the FDA.
For the new study, scientists analyzed data from the Gemini twin cohort study, using the Nova classification to divide the food and drink consumed into four groups: unprocessed or minimally processed foods (foods like eggs, milk, vegetables, fish and fruit); processed culinary ingredients (salt, butter and oil); processed foods (tinned fish, peanut butter and cheese); and UPFs (including cereals, yogurts, store-bought sliced bread, biscuits, crisps and processed meat like sausages).
UPFs are usually produced in factories, contain ingredients that would not normally be found in an average home kitchen—ingredients like emulsifiers, colorings and sweeteners—and are sold to the public wrapped in plastic.
The toddlers were divided into five groups according to their consumption of UPFs. Toddlers in the lowest UPF group consumed on average 28% of their calories from UPFs, while toddlers in the highest group consumed 69% of their calories from UPFs.
The researchers also found that UPF consumption at 21 months predicted UPF consumption at seven years old. Toddlers who consumed the most UPFs were 9.4 times more likely to be in the highest UPF-consuming group at age seven, versus toddlers who consumed the least.
Commenting on the study, Dr. Rana Conway, lead author, said, “It’s not easy to feed children healthily in our current food environment. Highly processed foods are often cheaper than the foods parents would like to give their children, such as fresh fruit and vegetables.
“Also, despite labels suggesting they’re a healthy choice, ultra-processed foods marketed for children often contain too much sugar and salt. This makes it harder for parents to make healthy choices.”