Home Cooking Crisis: Processed Foods Dominate American Diets
Both men and women consistently consume more than 50% of their daily calories at home from ultra-processed foods.
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The food Americans eat at home is undergoing a major transformation. While many believe cooking homemade meals leads to healthier eating, a concerning shift is occurring in U.S. kitchens.
Today, more than half of the calories Americans consume at home come from ultra-processed foods (UPFs) – industrial formulations like frozen pizzas, packaged snack cakes, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, and microwaveable meals. These products contain no or minimal whole foods, are made mostly from substances extracted from foods, and contain additives like artificial sweeteners, colorings, and emulsifiers.
Julia A. Wolfson and colleagues investigated trends in Americans’ food consumption patterns between 2003-2018 among 34,000 adults. Using food diaries, they analyzed what people ate both at home and away, categorizing foods based on their processing level.
The findings paint a concerning picture of modern eating habits. Ultra-processed foods now make up 54% of calories eaten at home in 2018, up from 51% in 2003. Meanwhile, consumption of unprocessed and minimally processed foods has declined from 35% to just 30% of at-home calories. Unprocessed foods include fresh fruits and vegetables, while minimally processed foods (MPFs) include frozen vegetables, dried fruits, and pasteurized milk — foods altered only for preservation and accessibility without adding sugar, salt, or fats. This decline was consistent across age groups, income levels, and ethnicities.
The figure shows that both men and women consistently consume more than 50% of their at-home calories from ultra-processed foods over the 15-year study period. For both genders, the proportion of calories from unprocessed and minimally processed foods decreased, with men showing a steeper decline from 34.8% in 2003-2004 to 29.0% in 2017-2018.
High consumption of ultra-processed foods is linked to increased risks of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. While properly preserved food can provide valuable nutrition, ultra-processed foods present distinct health concerns due to their poor nutritional quality. The study authors suggests that stronger policies aimed at improving the nutritional quality of the food supply are needed, such as nutrition labels warning of high ultra-processed food content, along with food industry regulations regarding ultra-processed foods.
