(NewsNation) — U.S. grocery stores offer an array of options from cereals to baked foods in countless flavors. However, an inspection of the ingredient lists reveals that the variety may be more limited than it seems.
A recent study revealed that a majority of products on grocery shelves are filled with artificial ingredients and are highly processed.
Eliminating these ingredients from many everyday foods will be a challenge, but there’s a new tool that can help consumers make healthier choices at the grocery store.
Unhealthy foods ranked by researchers
A new ranking system from GroceryDB, a database containing information on more than 50,000 food items sold by major U.S., highlights how prevalent ultra-processed foods are in American diets. Many of these items are likely a part of consumers’ weekly grocery lists.
Some of the top culprits include:
- Energy drinks, which are high in sugar, artificial flavors and additives
- Mass-produced bread, often containing additives like emulsifiers and preservatives
- Breakfast cereals, with synthetic nutrients
- Hot dogs filled with nitrates, high salt, and saturated fats.
- Vegan ‘meat’ products with added flavor enhancers, stabilizers and fillers
Other common processed foods near the top of the list include chicken nuggets, frozen pizza, sodas, chips, cookies and frozen meals.
States move to take junk food out of schools
In response to rising concerns about health, some states are moving to remove highly processed foods from schools.
Florida is propping legislation, following California, which has already passed similar laws.
Florida Senator Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, has proposed a bill that would prevent public schools from purchasing foods containing 11 specific artificial ingredients, many of which are commonly found in sodas, candy and other processed snacks.
Similar bills have faced resistance from the food industry, and this latest version is still in its early stages. However, it reflects the growing focus by both the public and lawmakers on the widespread consumption of mass-produced foods in the U.S.
A government-funded study revealed that people who ate processed foods tended to consume more calories and gain weight, contributing to the growing obesity epidemic in the U.S. Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults are now overweight or obese, a figure that has more than doubled from 1990 to 2021.