As New Dietary Guidelines Spotlight “Highly Processed Foods,” Online Conversations Reveal Confusion, Polarization, And A Search For Practical Solutions

New IFIC Research Dives Into Digital Conversations Around Processed Foods

(Washington, D.C.) — With the release of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) on January 7, 2026, processed and “highly processed” foods are once again taking center stage. A new analysis from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) finds that while attention is growing, online conversations remain emotionally charged, polarized, and often disconnected from the nuance found in expert food and nutrition guidance.  

The report, Digital Discourse On Processed Foods: Insights From Consumer & Key Opinion Leader Commentary, analyzes more than 135,000 social media posts from January 2024 through May 2025, examining how consumers and key opinion leaders discuss processed and ultraprocessed foods as well as what those conversations can mean for effective food, nutrition, and health communication.  

“Processed foods are firmly in the consumer lexicon. With the release of the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans and subsequent media attention, processed foods are poised for the spotlight once again,” Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, IFIC President & CEO. “Our research findings show many consumers interpret and apply food and nutrition guidance in ways that may not improve the overall healthfulness of their diets.” 

A Louder Conversation, But Not A Clearer One 

While awareness of processed foods has increased, IFIC’s analysis found that overall engagement remains modest compared to everyday concerns like food prices. When the topic does surface, the tone depends on who is driving the conversation. 

Millennial parents drive nearly three-quarters of consumer-generated content, leading with emotions and frequently expressing tension between health goals and real-life constraints such as taste, time, convenience, and affordability. Rather than aiming to eliminate processed foods entirely, many focus on ingredient scrutiny and incremental “better-for-you” swaps. 

Key opinion leaders—including academics, journalists, health professionals, and wellness influencers—tend to frame processed foods through scientific or policy lenses. However, expert voices are far from unified. 

“Credentialed health professionals often try to add nuance, while some influencers adopt a more urgent style of messaging,” said Reinhardt Kapsak. “The result is a fragmented information environment that can undermine trust and clarity.” 

Language, Labels & Lived Experience 

The report also highlights a gap between official terminology and consumer language. Although the DGAs use the term “highly processed foods,” it appears infrequently in online conversations during the analysis timeframe. Instead, consumers used broader terms like “junk,” “fake,” or “artificial,” underscoring the importance of meeting audiences where they are, linguistically and practically.  

Sentiment analysis also revealed a rise in negativity toward ultraprocessed foods (UPFs), particularly since 2022. While general discussions of processed foods remained comparatively stable in tone, commentary specifically mentioning UPFs became increasingly critical, often using emotionally charged and accusatory language. 

Across all platforms, discussion clustered around five themes: health concerns, taste and indulgence, alternatives, affordability, and convenience—revealing a shared desire to improve diet quality without sacrificing enjoyment, practicality, or feasibility.  

Implications For Food & Nutrition Communicators 

As the DGAs roll out, the findings of this report point to a clear opportunity to engage in conversations around incremental progress over perfection. 

“Consumers seek to align their food choices with their values and desire to improve their health, and especially their children’s health,” said Reinhardt Kapsak. “At the same time they recognize the role processed foods play in their lives.” 

Moving The Conversation Forward 

“The need for balanced and evidence-based communication has never been greater,” added Reinhardt Kapsak. “IFIC’s research underscores the importance of closing the gap between expert intent and consumer interpretation to build trust and support sustainable improvements in diet quality and overall health.” 

Interested in learning more about how consumers are thinking and talking about processed foods? Catch the conversation during the IFIC Expert Webinar: Trends & Tensions In The Processed Food Dialogue: Using Social Listening To Guide Consumer Communication on January 22, 2pm ET. Each IFIC Expert Webinar is free and provides opportunities for audience questions.  

Register for the IFIC Expert Webinar here. 

Digital And Social Analysis Methodology

IFIC commissioned this digital and social analysis to better understand who is talking about processed foods online and how. The analysis spanned from January 2024 to May 2025, covering ~135K social media posts from ~24K U.S. based public accounts across Instagram, YouTube, X, Reddit, LinkedIn, and Bluesky, among others. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to examine the community content, imagery, sentiment, keyword patterns, and conversational topic clusters. Qualitative analysis was also conducted on content shared by a subset of prominent key opinion leaders.