Ultra-processed foods supplied 55.0% of total calories for people aged 1 and older in the United States during August 2021–August 2023. The comparable shares were 46% of daily energy in Canada in 2015 and 18.4% of household calories available in Brazil in 2017–2018. These figures measure different things, so they are best read as country-specific indicators rather than a direct ranking.
Contents
- United States: overall calorie share
- U.S. intake by age and family income
- Leading U.S. sources
- Canada: overall intake and food sources
- Canadian eating locations and occasions
- Brazilian household availability
- Individual consumption in Brazil
United States: overall calorie share
The latest U.S. estimate in this set comes from the National Center for Health Statistics. During August 2021–August 2023, ultra-processed foods supplied 55.0% of total calories among U.S. people aged 1 and older. The age split was substantial: U.S. youth aged 1–18 obtained 61.9% of calories from ultra-processed foods, compared with 53.0% among adults aged 19 and older. NCHS Data Brief, Number 536, August 2025.
Earlier NCHS estimates provide context, but they cover different periods. Among U.S. youth, ultra-processed foods supplied 65.6% of calories in 2017–2018. Among adults, the share was 55.8% in 2013–2014 and 56.0% in 2017–2018. Those historical measurements should not be treated as independently rechecked here; they are reported as published in the NCHS data brief.
| U.S. population | Ultra-processed share of calories | Measurement period |
|---|---|---|
| People aged 1 and older | 55.0% | August 2021–August 2023 |
| Youth aged 1–18 | 61.9% | August 2021–August 2023 |
| Adults aged 19 and older | 53.0% | August 2021–August 2023 |
| Youth | 65.6% | 2017–2018 |
The measure is a share of dietary energy, not a share of the number of foods eaten or a recommended limit.
U.S. intake by age and family income
Within the August 2021–August 2023 U.S. estimates, children aged 6–11 had the highest listed age-specific share, at 64.8% of calories. Youth aged 12–18 obtained 63.0%, while children aged 1–5 obtained 56.1%. Among adults, the share declined across the listed age groups: 54.4% for ages 19–39, 52.6% for ages 40–59, and 51.7% for adults aged 60 and older. NCHS Data Brief, Number 536, August 2025.
Family income differences were not uniform across youth and adults. For youth, ultra-processed foods supplied 61.2% of calories at family incomes below 130% of the federal poverty level, 63.8% at 130%–349% of that level, and 61.6% at 350% or more. For adults, the corresponding figures were 54.7%, 55.3%, and 50.4%.
Thus, the highest listed youth income band was not the highest youth estimate, while the highest adult income band had the lowest adult estimate. The income categories describe family income relative to the federal poverty level; they do not establish why the percentages differ.
Leading U.S. sources
The NCHS breakdown identifies several food categories contributing to ultra-processed calories. Among U.S. youth during August 2021–August 2023, sandwiches, including burgers, supplied 7.6% of total calories from ultra-processed foods. Sweet bakery products supplied 6.3%, savory snacks 4.9%, pizza 4.7%, and sweetened beverages 3.9%.
Among adults, sandwiches including burgers supplied 8.6% of total calories from ultra-processed foods. Sweet bakery products supplied 5.2%, sweetened beverages 4.4%, savory snacks 3.4%, and breads, rolls, and tortillas 3.1%. NCHS Data Brief, Number 536, August 2025.
These percentages are contributions to total calories from ultra-processed foods, as reported for each population group. They should not be added to create a complete diet profile: the listed categories are only the leading sources provided in the source.
Canada: overall intake and food sources
Statistics Canada reported that ultra-processed foods contributed 46% of total daily energy among Canadians aged 2 and older in 2015. The median usual energy share was 44.9%, and 65.8% of Canadians had usual ultra-processed food intakes below 50% of total energy. The 50% point is an analytical threshold in the study, not a recommended intake level. Consumption of ultra-processed foods in Canada, 2015.
Specific food categories made different contributions to Canadian daily energy. Ultra-processed bread contributed 10.1% of total daily energy, while fast foods and frozen dishes contributed 3.6%. A separate Statistics Canada analysis reported a closely related overall figure of 45.7% of total daily energy among Canadians aged 2 and older in 2015. Consumption of ultra-processed and minimally processed foods by eating location and occasion in Canada, 2015.
The two Canadian publications use different analytical focuses and reported values, so both figures are retained with their source context rather than combined or averaged.
Together, these measures show why a single percentage can conceal important differences in population coverage and the setting in which food was recorded.
Canadian eating locations and occasions
The 2015 Canadian eating-location analysis found that ultra-processed foods contributed 42.9% of energy consumed at home. Across eating occasions, they contributed 53.6% of energy at breakfast, 54.2% at snack occasions, and 34.0% at dinner. Overall, the analysis reported 45.7% of total daily energy among Canadians aged 2 and older. Statistics Canada, 2015.
| Canadian measure | Ultra-processed share | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Total daily energy | 45.7% | 2015 |
| Energy consumed at home | 42.9% | 2015 |
| Breakfast energy | 53.6% | 2015 |
| Snack-occasion energy | 54.2% | 2015 |
| Dinner energy | 34.0% | 2015 |
These are energy shares by location or occasion. They do not indicate the number of meals, snacks, or food items in each category.
Brazilian household availability
Brazilian household data from the IBGE Household Budget Survey tracks calories available for consumption at home, which differs from individual dietary intake. Ultra-processed foods accounted for 12.6% of available household calories in 2002–2003, 16.0% in 2008–2009, and 18.4% in 2017–2018. IBGE, “Ultra-processed food products advance and account for 18.4% of calories consumed at home”, 2017–2018 and earlier survey periods.
Within 2017–2018, ultra-processed foods represented 12.5% of total household calories among Brazil’s lowest-income households and 24.7% among the highest-income households. Urban households recorded 19.8%, compared with 10.7% in rural areas.
The leading listed ultra-processed categories in available household calories were sausages at 2.5%, cookies and sweets at 2.1%, salty snacks at 1.8%, margarine at 1.8%, and cakes and sweet pies at 1.5%. These category figures are shares of total calories available in households, not shares of an individual’s consumed calories.
Individual consumption in Brazil
Brazil’s 2019 National Health Survey used a different indicator: the percentage of adults consuming food from five or more ultra-processed food groups. In 2019, 14.3% of people aged 18 and older met that measure. The share was 7.4% among rural residents and 15.4% among urban residents. IBGE, PNS 2019, 2019.
Because this indicator counts food groups, it cannot be directly compared with a calorie percentage. It also does not say what share of calories came from those foods.
A separate analysis of 14,378 ELSA-Brasil participants found that ultra-processed foods contributed 22.7% of total calorie intake at baseline in 2008–2010. After adjustment for age and sex, the calorie contribution was 20% lower among participants with incomplete primary education than among those with postgraduate education. It was also 20% lower in the lowest household-income quintile than in the highest-income group. Brazilian Ministry of Health, “Consumo de alimentos”, baseline 2008–2010.
Across these countries, the measurement differences matter: U.S. and Canadian figures are dietary-energy shares; the IBGE POF figures describe household calorie availability; and the Brazilian PNS figure counts adults consuming at least five ultra-processed food groups. The survey designs, populations, periods, and implementations of the NOVA classification also differ, so the statistics are most useful for understanding each setting on its own terms.