Summary
A UNICEF study warns of the increase in childhood obesity, linked to the consumption of ultra-processed foods, and highlights the need for public policies to promote healthy eating and combat social inequalities.
A study published by UNICEF In December 2025, a new alert for child nutrition will be issued. The review, which follows the recent publication of Lancet 2025 Seriesshows that the number of school-aged children and adolescents who are overweight or obese doubled between 2000 and 2022, from 194 million to 391 million.
The review is in line with the 2022 National Food and Nutrition Monitoring System public report, which also showed an increase in the number of obese children in Brazil. The data, covering people seen in primary health care up to mid-September of the same year, revealed that 340,000 children aged 5 to 10 were diagnosed with obesity.
But the Unicef study goes beyond the number of sick children and adolescents. It identifies the root of the problem: the consumption of ultra-processed foods. According to the paper, the increase in obesity is intrinsically linked to greater access to foods that satisfy hunger, but do not nourish.
“We understand that children are particularly vulnerable to these foods and to any exposure because, up to a certain age, they still do not choose what they consume. They live in a world where the marketing of ultra-processed foods is very aggressive. Children are everywhere, which makes it impossible not to be exposed to these very tasty foods, but bad for their long-term health,” explained Stéphanie Amaral, spokesperson specializing in health and nutrition for Unicef in Brazil.
Many “healthy-looking” foods are actually bombs high in sugar, fat, sodium and chemical additives, such as colors and flavorings. On the other hand, they have a low content of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Some examples are sandwich bread, frozen fries, cereal bars, flavored yogurts and boxed juices.
Foods with attractive packaging, with images of fruits and cereals, are in fact ultra-processed, which contributes to the increase in weight in children and the emergence of obesity.
Some products have “nutrition claims” on their packaging, claiming to be high in fiber or a certain type of vitamin. However, Stéphanie Amaral explains that the quantity of vitamins and minerals present in this type of food is negligible compared to the real nutritional needs of a child, and warns against “front labeling” which shows that it is an ultra-processed food.
“Front labeling refers to the warnings that appear on the front of the food. In Brazil it was instituted as a magnifying glass, which indicates whether this food has a high content of sodium, fats and added sugars”, explained the spokesperson, who emphasizes that the idea of this type of labeling is to help parents and adolescents understand that this food is not good for health, even if it has a nutritional claim on the packaging.
Hunger is the cause of obesity
Since the Middle Ages, excess weight has often been associated with abundance, because it contrasts with food shortage. However, this is not the reality of postmodern societies.
Indeed, ultra-processed foods are cheaper than natural foods. Just compare the price of an instant noodle to that of a kilo of tomatoes. However, these foods, rich in sugars, fats and sodium, are responsible for excess weight.
The study reveals a trend across the world. While in developed countries, ultra-processed foods already constitute the basis of children’s diets, in emerging countries, such as Brazil, the transition is accelerating. In underdeveloped countries, consumption is lower, but it is increasing rapidly. In all cases, inequalities in access to fresh food and the high cost of healthy foods mean that low-income populations are increasingly dependent on ultra-processed products.
In Brazil, where the specter of hunger looms, obesity reinforces food insecurity. This shows that access to poor quality food is the only way out for those who have nothing to eat.
“Brazil is off the hunger map, it’s a great celebration, but we always have to think: get out of hunger to eat anything? No, we have to get out of hunger to guarantee food and nutritional security, that is, healthy food, in sufficient quantity and quality for the needs of that person”, reinforced the spokesperson.
She further explains that the root of obesity and malnutrition is the same: “poverty and social inequality lead to both extreme hunger and malnutrition and other levels of food insecurity, which may be obesity combined with another type of malnutrition.”
Importance of schools in the nutritional quality of children
A Brazilian studies on average 14.5 years, from kindergarten to the end of high school. During this entire period, you can count on the food provided in Brazilian schools.
The food is guaranteed by the National School Meal Program (PNAE), a Brazilian public policy that provides healthy meals and nutritional education to basic public education students. This program aims to guarantee 70% of the daily calories needed by students and is considered one of the largest school feeding programs in the world.
Law No. 11,947, promulgated on June 16, 2009, transformed school meals into a legal right of students and a duty of the state. Initially, the goal was to ensure food on the table for children and adolescents who did not have food at home. Today, the PNAE has a new vocation: to guarantee food that nourishes, in addition to satisfying hunger.
“The PNAE brings the reduction of ultra-processed products. It has gradually decreased over the years. Now it is at 15% to go to 10%. It brings family farming, so it does not contain pesticides, in addition to strengthening local culture,” explained Stéphanie Amaral.
However, the Unicef spokesperson warns of another problem: the PNAE only guarantees food in public schools. This means that in private schools, food is the responsibility of the parents and the canteens that sell food. And, in this case, it’s the relentless marketing of ultra-processed foods that wins.
“UNICEF puts forward the argument that we need schools to be a place to protect children and adolescents from the aggressive advertising of these foods and from the sale and donation of these foods,” he explained.
In 2023, Presidential Decree 11,821 postulates that a healthy school must be free from all advertising of ultra-processed foods, as well as their sale. The goal is for the decree to become municipal law, valid not only for public schools, but also for private schools.
“In ultra-processed schools, it is possible to protect children, offer them and educate them about healthy eating. The school is a controlled environment, ideal for this protection,” the spokesperson said.
Why should we take care of our diet?
Obesity is a chronic disease and people with a genetic predisposition are more likely to develop it. However, the environment in which the person lives also influences the development of the disease.
In other words, two individuals with a genetic predisposition to obesity, living in different environments – one with access to natural foods and the other with access to ultra-processed foods – will respond differently to the disease.
Obesity is responsible for many other diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, joint problems, breathing difficulties and liver disease. The Unicef study reinforces the fact that obesity also causes diseases in children and adolescents.
“There are cardiometabolic risk factors, hypertension, abnormal lipid profiles, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, lower academic performance, mental health problems, anxiety, depression and hyperactivity. So, all of this came up in the study in terms of the evidence that we already have in children and adolescents”, emphasizes the specialist.
UNICEF study is a call to action
Stephanie Amaral says the study is a call to action. The objective is not to provide alarming data, but to show how children and adolescents are more vulnerable to this type of food and the effects they cause on the body.
The study shows that food systems around the world are failing in two ways: they are failing to provide nutritious, safe, affordable and sustainable food, and they are flooding food environments with ultra-processed, nutrient-poor and unhealthy foods.
UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO) provide joint recommendations for mandatory legal measures and policies to create healthy food environments, including:
- Protection of breastfeeding and first foods (complementary feeding);
- Healthy school food environments;
- Restrictions on the marketing of food products;
- Food labeling;
- Subsidies and taxes on food; And
- Food reformulation.
Lula differentiates between “luxury meat” and “everyday meat” when he talks about food taxation:
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