"People sometimes have difficulty controlling how much they eat of certain foods such as:
• Sweets like ice cream, chocolate, doughnuts, cookies, cake, and candy
• Starches like white bread, rolls, pasta, and rice
• Salty snacks like chips, pretzels, and crackers
• Fatty foods like steak, bacon, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, pizza, and french friesÂ
• Sugary drinks like soda pop, lemonade, sports drinks, and energy drinks
In answering the following questions, respondents were asked to consider their experiences with the foods listed above, any foods or beverages similar to those listed above, and any other foods they had difficulty with in the past year."
Citation formats
Share of U.S. seniors with an addiction to ultra-processed foods in 2022, by weight
In 2022, a survey of adults in the United States aged 50 to 80 years found that among those who were overweight, around 27 percent met criteria for an addiction to ultra-processed food in the past year. Women in this group were twice as likely as men to meet the criteria for this addiction. This statistic shows the percentage of adults in the United States aged 50 to 80 years who met criteria for an addiction to highly processed food in 2022, by weight.
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IHPI. (January 29, 2023). Percentage of adults in the United States aged 50 to 80 years who met criteria for an addiction to highly processed food in 2022, by weight [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. Retrieved July 29, 2026, from /statistics/1491290/seniors-ultra-processed-food-addiction-by-weight/
IHPI. "Percentage of adults in the United States aged 50 to 80 years who met criteria for an addiction to highly processed food in 2022, by weight." Chart. January 29, 2023. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. Accessed July 29, 2026. /statistics/1491290/seniors-ultra-processed-food-addiction-by-weight/
IHPI. (2023). Percentage of adults in the United States aged 50 to 80 years who met criteria for an addiction to highly processed food in 2022, by weight. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 29, 2026. /statistics/1491290/seniors-ultra-processed-food-addiction-by-weight/
IHPI. "Percentage of Adults in The United States Aged 50 to 80 Years Who Met Criteria for An Addiction to Highly Processed Food in 2022, by Weight." ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ Inc., 29 Jan 2023, /statistics/1491290/seniors-ultra-processed-food-addiction-by-weight/
IHPI, Percentage of adults in the United States aged 50 to 80 years who met criteria for an addiction to highly processed food in 2022, by weight ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ, /statistics/1491290/seniors-ultra-processed-food-addiction-by-weight/ (last visited July 29, 2026)
Percentage of adults in the United States aged 50 to 80 years who met criteria for an addiction to highly processed food in 2022, by weight [Graph], IHPI, January 29, 2023. [Online]. Available: /statistics/1491290/seniors-ultra-processed-food-addiction-by-weight/