Consumption of ultra-processed foods in Brazil: distribution and temporal evolution 2008–2018

• Main Author: Louzada, Maria Laura da Costa
• Publication Date: 2023
• Other Authors: Cruz, Gabriela Lopes da, Silva, Karina Augusta Aparecida Nogueira, Grassi, Ana Giulia Forjaz, Andrade, Giovanna Calixto, Rauber, Fernanda, Levy, Renata Bertazzi, Monteiro, Carlos Augusto
• Format: Article
• Language: por; eng
• Source: Revista de Saúde Pública
• Download full: https://www.revistas.usp.br/rsp/article/view/209656
• topic: Eating; Ultra-Processed Foods; Socioeconomic Factors; Diet, Food, and Nutrition; Ingestão de Alimentos; Alimentos Ultraprocessados; Fatores Socioeconômicos; Alimentos, Dieta e Nutrição

OBJECTIVE To evaluate sociodemographic factors associated with the consumption of ultra-processed foods and the temporal evolution of their consumption in Brazil between 2008 and 2018. METHODS The study used food consumption data of individuals aged ≥ 10 years from 2008–2009 and 2017–2018 Pesquisas de Orçamentos Familiares (POF – Household Budget Surveys), grouping the foods according to the Nova classification. We used crude and adjusted linear regression models to assess the association between sociodemographic characteristics and consumption of ultra-processed foods in 2017–2018 and the temporal variation in their consumption between 2008 and 2018. RESULTS Ultra-processed foods accounted for 19.7% of calories in 2017–2018. The adjusted analysis showed that their consumption was higher in women (versus men) and the South and Southeast regions (versus North) and lower in blacks (versus whites) and rural areas (versus urban), in addition to decreasing with the increased age and increasing with higher education and income. Consumption of ultra-processed foods increased by 1.02 percentage points (pp) from 2008–2009 to 2017–2018. This increase was significantly higher among men (+1.59 pp), black people (+2.04 pp), indigenous (+5.96 pp), in the rural area (+2.43 pp), those with up to 4 years of schooling (+1.18 pp), in the lowest income quintile (+3.54 pp), and the North (+2.95 pp) and Northeast (+3.11 pp) regions. On the other hand, individuals in the highest level of schooling (-3.30 pp) and the highest income quintile (-1.65 pp) reduced their consumption. CONCLUSIONS The socioeconomic and demographic segments with the lowest relative consumption of ultra-processed foods in 2017–2018 are precisely those that showed the most significant increase in the temporal analysis, pointing to a trend towards national standardization at a higher level of consumption.