Ultra-Processed Foods: Survey Reveals What Americans Want Regulated

Ultra-processed foods are generally defined as highly palatable, high calorie foods. Typically they are packaged goods that lack fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

While there are a number of variables that contribute to the rise of obesity and chronic disease, it's hard to argue that ultra-processed foods aren't a major contributor. While a Men's Fitness reader is likely able to identify ultra-processed foods, they don't necessarily represent the general population.

Researchers wanted to know if people think there should be regulations around these ultra-processed foods. They surveyed 990 U.S. adults in February 2025 to find out how much public support exists for six different government policies aimed at regulating ultra-processed foods.

What had the most support (over 80% of people) was identifying and educating people about ultra-processed foods. In the beginning of this article I purposely used words like "generally" and "typically" because there is no formal definition for it. While the survey did not explicitly ask this question, this policy could also lead to ultra-processed foods having a designation on food labels that consumers can see.

What got the least support was restricting and taxing ultra-processed foods (50.8% and 43.6% respectively). While people yearn for education on the matter, they still want the ability to buy these foods as they please, without paying extra. I believe that people should have the freedom to make their own choices in terms of what they put in their bodies, but some may believe that you have to "protect people from themselves."

Overall, the public is fine with the government informing them about ultra-processed foods but much more hesitant about the government restricting choices or taxing purchases. Restrictions framed around protecting children (like school policies) get the most cross-partisan support among the restriction-type policies.

When the line goes from informing to intervening is when people start to hesitate. At the moment, the takeaway for policymakers is clear: lead with information, tread carefully with restrictions, and expect taxes to be the hardest sell of all.

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published June 28, 2026 at 10:42 AM.