A majority of the top-grossing films in recent years have featured food and beverage product placements — with junk food and fast-food restaurants grabbing most of the starring roles, a new study finds.

Many PG, PG-13 and G-rated movies had junk food as product placements.

The findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, are based on an analysis of the top 20 box-office movies for each year between 1996 and 2005. Of those 200 movies, Sutherland’s team found, 69 percent included at least one brand placement for a food, beverage or food retailer.

That included one-third of G-rated movies, 58 percent of PG movies and

72 percent of those rated PG-13. And when it came to the type of product, the most heavily featured included candy and other sweets, salty snacks like chips and pretzels, and soft drinks.

Candy, sweets and salty snacks accounted for 59 percent of food brands, while sugar-sweetened drinks accounted for three-quarters of beverages. When restaurants or food stores were featured, it was a fast-food establishment 62 percent of the time.