According to the National Study of Food and Nutrition in Children (Enani), recently released by several Brazilian universities, 80.5% of Brazilian children under 2 years of age are consuming ultra-processed foods associated with the risk of diseases such as obesity and cancer; among children between 2 and 4 years of age, the percentage reaches 93%.

Brazilian newspaper Folha de Estado de São Paulo reported on September 19 that the research project was funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Health and coordinated by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) and the Federal University of Goiás (UFG). The researchers followed up with families in 123 cities in the Brazilian Federal District (Distrito Federal) and 26 states between 2019 and 2020, studying the eating habits of more than 14,000 children.

According to the results, 80.5% of children aged 6 to 23 months consume ultra-processed foods, which are equivalent to 20.5% of the total energy intake of children in this age group, and 93% of children aged 24 to 59 months, which account for 30.4% of their total energy intake.

Elisa Lacerda, researcher of the Enani project, professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and nutritionist, mentioned that the study found differences in the diets of children from different ethnic groups and regions; for example, black children tend to have less healthy diets, while children in rural areas usually have diets a little bit healthier than those in big cities.

The report also emphasized that Brazilian children consume high levels of sugar. Among them, 60.6% of children aged 6 to 23 months consume sweets, with an average of 50.3 grams per day; this increases to 80.4% among children aged 24 to 59 months, with an average intake of 82.5 grams per day.

“Although we recommend healthy eating for families (with children), in a stressful and busy life, it's much easier to prepare ready-made chocolate cupcakes than it is to buy the fresh stuff and make them.” Elisa wonders.

The ultra-processed foods covered in the study are said to include: soft drinks, other sugary beverages (e.g., boxed fruit juices, boxed coconut water, juice powders, and sweetened natural juices), snacks (e.g., potato chips, sweet or savory crackers), candies, yogurts, industrialized breads (e.g., sliced breads and hamburger buns embryos), ready-to-eat powders (e.g., ready-to-eat cornstarch, ready-to-eat flour, ready-to-eat rice flour, and ready-to-eat oatmeal), instant noodles, and processed meats (e.g., hamburger, ham, Italian sausage, salami, chicken nuggets, and sausage).

A recent survey covering nearly 10 million study participants pointed to an association between overconsumption of ultra-processed foods and more than 30 health problems. There is evidence linking this habit to overweight, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and even mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression.