Adolescents get most calories from processed food – new study

Dr Chavez-Ugalde added: “It’s clear from our findings that ultra-processed foods make up the majority of adolescents’ diets, and their consumption is at a much higher level than is ideal, given their potential negative health impacts.”

Dr Esther van Sluijs, also from the MRC unit, said: “Ultra-processed foods offer convenient and often cheaper solutions to time- and income-poor families, but unfortunately many of these foods also offer poor nutritional value. This could be contributing to the inequalities in health we see emerging across childhood and adolescence.”

Dr Zoi Toumpakari, from the Centre for Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences at the University of Bristol, added: “Our findings suggest that disparities in consumption of ultra-processed foods are not just down to individual choices.

“We hope this evidence can help guide policymakers in designing more effective policies to combat the negative effects of ultra-processed food consumption among youth and the ripple effects this has on public health.”

The study was mainly funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research School for Public Health Research.