Poll Finds Broad Support for Warning Labels and Ad Limits on Ultraprocessed Foods

A survey published Wednesday in the American Journal of Public Health found that 77 percent of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents support large warning labels on ultraprocessed food packages. Up to 70 percent want companies banned from advertising these products on children's television, and up to 87 percent back government safety testing of laboratory-made chemicals before use in food.

Ashley Gearhardt, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan and senior author of the survey, said families are asking questions about how food is made, marketed, and regulated.

Gearhardt and other researchers started a public awareness effort called Fed UP! The project offers explainers, research summaries, videos, and resources to help consumers understand ultraprocessed foods and seek policy changes. The site also includes guidance on petitioning lawmakers and school boards.

Seventeen studies and reviews from a new ultraprocessed-food edition of the American Journal of Public Health are posted on the site. Laura Schmidt, professor at the University of California San Francisco and a scientific contributor, said corrective action by industry and regulators is overdue.

"I started working on one of the nation's first sugary soda taxes in 2009. It's 2026, and as a society we are still not doing anything significant around this issue," Schmidt said.

Studies cited in the journal link higher ultraprocessed-food intake to increased risks of cardiovascular death, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and dementia. A companion study found nearly a 60 percent higher dementia risk among U.S. adults who ate the most ultraprocessed foods.

Nearly 70 percent of items on U.S. grocery shelves are highly processed. Gearhardt reported that more than 12 percent of older U.S. adults and 21 percent of women ages 50 to 64 meet clinical criteria for addiction to ultraprocessed foods. A spokesperson for the Consumer Brands Association said member companies follow FDA safety standards and provide information consumers need to make choices.

Carla Saunders, president of the Calorie Control Council, stated that public-health efforts should focus on nutrient content and balanced dietary patterns rather than broad narratives about processing.