Who is consuming ultra-processed food in Canada? A cross-sectional analysis of the 2018/2019 International Food Policy Study

Abstract

High consumption of ultra-processed foods and drinks (UPF) has been linked to poor diet quality and an increased risk of non-communicable diseases. To inform public policies and interventions aimed at reducing UPF intake in Canada, updated information on UPF intake among different sociodemographic groups is needed. This study, using data from 5872 adults aged 18 years and older from the International Food Policy Study (2018–2019), aims to estimate the dietary energy contribution of UPF and assess its variation among sociodemographic subgroups. All foods and drinks reported in a single 24 h dietary recall were classified using the Nova system. We estimated the mean proportion of total daily energy from UPF and subcategories of UPF in the overall sample and among sociodemographic subgroups. Multivariable linear regression models evaluated the association between sociodemographic characteristics with the proportion of total daily energy from UPF. On average, adults consumed 45.2% of their total daily energy from UPF. UPF consumption was slightly higher among males than females (49.4% vs. 47.6%, p = 0.039) and younger adults aged 19–30 years compared with older adults aged 51–64 years (50.0% vs. 47.2%, p = 0.029), adjusting for a range of sociodemographic factors. Overall, UPF consumption was relatively high among adults in all sociodemographic subgroups, highlighting the need for policies to decrease UPF consumption in the entire population.