Ultra-processed foods make up two-thirds of calorie intake

UPFs tend to be foods with poor dietary quality. This is because they often contain high levels of added sugars, saturated fat and salt.

They are also likely to have lower levels of fibre, protein and micronutrients. It has been suggested that UPFs can be blamed for the rising levels of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

Yanaina Chavez-Ugalde from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge and the study’s first author, said, “Adolescents’ food patterns and practices are influenced by many factors, including their home environment, the marketing they are exposed to and the influence of their friends and peers. But adolescence is also an important time in our lives where behaviours begin to become ingrained.”