Description of nutrient consumption based on the level of industrial food processing: national Survey on Nutrition and Health of2005.

Abstract

Technological advances and changes in lifestyles reflect in a greater consumption of processed and ultra-processed foods compared to natural ones. Using data from the National Survey on Nutrition and Health, the consumption of these foods and their relation to living conditions were described in three age groups of Argentina (infants aged 6-23 months, children aged 2-5 years, and women aged 10-49 years). Consumption among infants 6-23 months old is high in nutrients from natural foods: calcium (75.9%), proteins (72.7%), iron (71.5%), and fiber (68.9%). Among children 2-5 years old, consumption drops significantly. And among women, it drops even more. The proportion of the energy contribution from ultra-processed foods is higher in the high-income population compared to the low-income population across all groups.