Ultra-processed food is global health threat, experts warn

Action is needed now to reduce ultra-processed foods (UPF) in diets around the world due to their threat to health, international experts say in a global review of research.

They say the way we eat is changing – with a shift away from fresh, whole foods in favor of cheap, highly processed meals – increasing our risk of developing a range of chronic diseases, including obesity and depression.

Writing in The Lancet, researchers say governments need to “step up” and introduce warnings and higher taxes on UPF products, to help fund access to more nutritious foods.

However, some scientists say this study cannot prove that UPF directly causes health harm and that additional research and testing is needed to demonstrate this.

Ultra-processed foods are defined as containing more than five ingredients that you won’t find in your kitchen cupboard at home, such as emulsifiers, preservatives, additives, colors and sweeteners.

Examples of UPFs include sausages, crisps, pastries, biscuits, instant soups, soft drinks, ice cream and supermarket bread.

Surveys indicate that these industrially manufactured foods are increasingly present in diets around the world, deteriorating the quality of what we eat with too much sugar and unhealthy fats and a lack of fiber and protein.

This review of evidence on the health impact of UPFs, conducted by 43 global experts and based on 104 long-term studies, suggests that these foods are linked to a higher risk of 12 health conditions.

These include type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, depression and premature death from any cause.

Review author Professor Carlos Monteiro, of the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, who established the Nova classification system for categorizing foods, said the growing consumption of ultra-processed foods is “reshaping diets around the world, replacing fresh, minimally processed foods and meals.”

“This shift in people’s diets is fueled by powerful global corporations generating huge profits by prioritizing ultra-processed products, backed by extensive marketing and political lobbying to end effective public health policies aimed at supporting healthy diets,” he added.

Co-author Dr Phillip Baker, from the University of Sydney, said the answer was “a strong global public health response – like the coordinated efforts to challenge the tobacco industry”.

The study acknowledges the lack of clinical trials showing exactly how UPF harms health – but says this should not delay action to protect people around the world from potential health risks.

Some scientists have pointed out that it is difficult to disentangle the effects of UPF on people’s diets and other factors in people’s lives, such as lifestyle, behavior and wealth.

Critics of the Nova classification system say it relies too much on the level of processing of foods, and not the nutritional value of that particular food. For example, wholemeal bread, breakfast cereals, low-fat yogurt, baby formula and fish sticks are all considered ultra-processed but contain lots of good stuff.

Professor Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor of Applied Statistics at the Open University, said: “A study like this can find a correlation, but it cannot be certain of cause and effect.”

He added that there was still “room for doubt and clarification resulting from further research.”

“It seems likely to me that at least some UPFs could lead to an increased risk of some chronic diseases. But that certainly doesn’t prove that all UPFs increase disease risk.”

It remains unclear exactly what ultra-processed foods might cause or contribute to illness.

Professor Jules Griffin, from the University of Aberdeen, said there were some positive aspects to food processing and more research to understand how it influences our health was “urgently needed”.

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF), which represents the industry, says UPF can be part of a balanced diet, such as frozen peas and wholemeal bread.

“Companies have made a range of changes over the years to make the food and drink we all buy healthier, in line with government guidelines,” says Kate Halliwell, FDF’s chief science officer.

The amount of sugar and salt in products on sale in stores and supermarkets has fallen by a third since 2015, she added.

The UK’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition said earlier this year that the association between higher consumption of ultra-processed foods and adverse health effects was “concerning”.

But it’s unclear whether these foods are unhealthy because of how they’re processed or because many of them are high in calories, saturated fat, salt and free sugars.

Current UK government diet advice is to eat more fruit, vegetables and fiber, and reduce your intake of sugar, fat and salt.