Overview
- The three-paper analysis by 43 experts reports rapid dietary shifts worldwide and describes the trend as a public health emergency.
- In Spain, ultra-processed foods rose from about 11% to roughly 32% of daily calories over two to three decades, one of the fastest increases documented.
- National data cited show Mexico and Brazil climbing from about 10% to around 23% over four decades, China from roughly 4% to 10%, and levels in the United States and United Kingdom remaining above 50%.
- The authors call for front-of-pack disclosures identifying ultra-processed products, bans on marketing to children, removal from schools and hospitals, and targeted taxes to fund access to fresh foods.
- The dossier compares multinational food companies’ tactics to those of tobacco, notes WHO and UNICEF support, and highlights emerging experimental findings that younger Gen Z adults eat more after recent exposure to such products.