The new study reveals that highly processed foods represent almost half of the US housing grocery markets, with families with lower incomes and less educated families carrying the weight, underlining the need for emergency reform of national policy.
Study: Exploring inequalities in the percentage of highly processed foods and beverages purchased in grocery stores by US households in 2020. Credit Picture: Rimma Bondarenko / Shutterstock
In a recent article published in the magazine Public healthThe researchers analyzed the markets of highly processed foods (upfs) by American households, examining differences based on levels of education, household income and race and nationality.
They found that almost half of all food markets and over a third of drinks were upfs. Snacks, soft drinks and mixed dishes represented the highest proportions of UPFs. UPF markets were more common in lower income households and members with lower levels of education, as well as in non -Spanish white households. The study included a national representative sample of 59,939 US households, analyzing over 33 million products purchased in 2020.
Statistical analyzes used a limit of importance of p <0.0001 to determine significant differences between groups.
Background
UPFs are high -mechanical products manufactured with additives and ingredients from foods and becoming more and more dominant in American diets. These foods have been linked to several chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, obesity, depression, sleep problems and even premature death.
Unlike traditional food research focused on nutrients, recent studies use the Nova classification system to evaluate food processing levels, with the aim of highlighting foods aimed at encouraging over -consumption.
UPFs are recognized not only by their high processing but also by the use of certain additives that are rarely found in homemade cooking. Current estimates show that about half of US drinks and food markets is extremely processed. Nutrition -related health problems, including obesity, also have significant inequalities in ethnic, racial and socio -economic groups.
Previous surveys conducted from 2007 to 2012 have revealed that more educated people consume less upfs, while white and black adolescents consume more. Income and age were conversely reversed by the uptake of UPF. While purchase data provides a clearer picture of dietary surveys, previous findings have shown that black households bought more processed drinks but less processed foods.
Percentage of food and beverages purchased by US households by processing level
For the study
In a rapidly changing food market, the researchers tried to inform the research on UPF market standards, exploring how race, income, education and family structure intersect with the food market.
The study used data from a consumer survey of 59,939 US households coming from a national representative sample of about 35,000 to 60,000 households per year, held in 2020.
The nationality and the race were grouped as non -Spanish, Spanish, non -Spanish white and non -Spanish black. Income was divided into three levels based on the federal level of poverty (FPL), ie <185%, 185-350%και> 350%. Education was classified in the largest high school, a college or college graduate and above. Households were also classified based on whether they included children.
Using commercial databases, each product matches nutrient labels and ingredient data. Items were excluded without diet labels or barrier codes (such as fresh products and meats). The products were grouped into nine food categories and eleven drinks.
Based on the Nova classification system, the elements were categorized as minimally processed, containing processed ingredients, processed foods and over-processed foods (upfs). UPFs were detected by testing for substances that are not typically used in home kitchens, including flavor amplifiers and sweeteners. If objects originally classified as upfs were found to contain any of the Nova indicators or additives, the product was reconstituted as processed foods rather than upf.
The authors used statistical tests to compare UPF market volumes in demographic subgroups by applying Bonferroni adjustments to take into account multiple comparisons.
The percentage of (a) food and (b) beverage purchased by US households both by processing and food category
Findings
In 2020, among 59,939 US households and over 33 million purchased products analyzed, 38% of drinks and 48% of packaged foods are classified as upfs, representing 43% of all products purchased.
Groups with the largest share of the UPFs were carbonated drinks, containing 90%upfs, followed by soups and mixed dishes at 81%, and snacks and sweets at 71%. On the contrary, fruits, vegetables, fats, nuts and oils had no essential upfs. It is important that, although these minimally processed categories had almost no UPFs, they were only a small fraction (12%) of total markets, compared to the first three categories of UPFs (carbonated soft drinks, sweets and snacks and mixed dishes/soups), which together 36% of all markets.
Non -Spanish white households had the highest rate of UPF markets (49%), followed by non -Spanish blacks (47%), Spanish (46%) and other ethnic groups (43%). Households with lower incomes and less educated households bought a higher UPF rate than higher income households and more educated households.
These standards are maintained in racial-ethnic groups even when stratified by income. There were differences in all food categories, with non -Spanish white households buying more carbonated upfronts and non -Spanish black households that buy more UPF dairy drinks and fruit juices. The “other” race/nationality team consistently had the lowest percentage of UPF markets, except for the category of dairy drinks. Graduate products and fruit/vegetable juices showed the greatest variability per group, with at least 10% difference between the lower and higher proportions purchased.
It is important to note that this study only measured home markets. Previous research has shown that non-Spanish black households are more likely than other ethnic groups for the purchase of confectioners with home sugar, which were not recorded in this data set. Therefore, the lower UPF markets at home between non -Spanish black households may not reflect the total consumption of drinks.
Conclusions
This study confirms the dominance of upfs in the American home food markets, according to previous research. Specifically, non -Spanish whites are now buying more extremely processed drinks from other groups, different from the previous findings. One possible explanation for this shift is the market for behavior change during the Covid-19 pandemic, which may have disproportionately affected minority groups and modified food insecurity and shopping standards at home. In addition, the restriction of only home shopping can confuse the observed racial and ethnic differences in the upfare of UPF Beverage Purchase Standards.
Despite the use of a national representative sample and full -year data collection, restrictions include dependence on market data (and not consumption), potential devaluation due to food waste, exclusion of restaurant markets, possible incorrect classification using the Nova System and NOVA sorting system. Despite scan -based data they probably ensure reasonable accuracy.
The findings underline the urgent need for US policy initiatives related to the consumption of UPF to enhance the quality of nutrition and mitigate the risks of chronic diseases, especially given the absence of federal regulations compared to other countries.
