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Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to 124,000 US Premature Deaths, Spurring State Regulatory Action

California lawmakers drafted a bill to define ultra-processed foods for a 2032 phase-out from school meals.

If the bipartisan bill AB 1264 is passed, school meals in California may soon look like these healthy options provided by schools that are EatReal certified.
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The study estimated 124,000 premature deaths within the U.S. were attributable to ultraprocessed food consumption in 2018 alone. (Maryna Andriichuk/Dreamstime/TNS)

Overview

  • Each 10% rise in ultra-processed foods in the diet is linked to a 3% increase in all-cause mortality, with Americans facing the highest burden and 124,000 attributed premature deaths in 2018.
  • Researchers analyzed consumption data from eight countries and warned that ultra-processed food intake is climbing in low- and middle-income nations, signaling a growing global health threat.
  • In Pennsylvania a bipartisan package would ban unhealthy ultra-processed foods from schools, adding to California’s pioneering move to legally define these products.
  • FDA representatives have confirmed a clear link between ultra-processed foods and poor health outcomes yet declined to set a formal definition until the science is more conclusive.
  • In a landmark lawsuit, Morgan & Morgan alleges that major food companies engineered ultra-processed products to be highly addictive using tobacco-style tactics.