Calley Means on ultra-processed food: what the evidence says · JRE #2210
SUBJECT: ULTRA-PROCESSED FOOD
Not a true/false call. Every claim is logged with its sources; read the exhibits below.
Like, you know, kids are eating 67% of children's calories now are ultra processed foods. These means foods that come from a factory made by food scientists. Not just processed, ultra-processed. The highest form of processing, 67% of calories.
What the evidence says 01 / RECORD
The 67 percent figure traces to a 2021 JAMA study (Wang et al.) that analyzed NHANES dietary data for US youths aged 2 to 19 using the NOVA classification: the share of total energy from ultra-processed foods rose from 61.4 percent in 1999 to 2000 to 67.0 percent in 2017 to 2018. So the number is correctly stated and well sourced for that period. The one caveat to the word now is that more recent NHANES surveillance (CDC data through 2023) shows youth ultra-processed intake has edged down to roughly 62 percent, so 67 percent reflects the 2017 to 2018 peak rather than the very latest data. The core claim that ultra-processed foods make up about two-thirds of children's calories is accurate.