Ultra Processed Foods

Ultra processed foods, known as UPFs, are industrially-formulated food products that are highly modified from their counterparts. In the UK, about 57% of an adult's daily calorie intake is UPFs, with adolescents consuming even more. Instead of just combining ingredients to make a finished product, UPFs are based on substances extracted from whole foods. They have usually been cured or rendered, and contain additives such as emulsifiers, preservatives or artificial flavourings.

They are cheaper to produce and engineered to be highly palatable, but usually have very little nutritional value.

Examples include sugary breakfast cereals, crisps, chicken nuggets, hot dogs and ice cream. Even some breads and cakes are ultra-processed, although bread in the UK tends to be healthier and simpler than in the USA.

Why do UPFs exist?

For the consumer the main attraction is convenience, as they are presented in a ‘ready-to-eat’ form with a long shelf life. They are easy to buy, store and serve; and require very little planning and preparation.

As well as a long shelf life in the fridge or kitchen cupboard, the preservatives contained in these products means a longer life on its way to the store.

With ultra-processed foods being cheaper to produce, store and distribute, this results in more profit for the manufacturer and economies of scale when mass-produced.

The highly-palatable nature of the foods can lead to habit forming from the consumer. Often high in sugar, salt or fat, these foods have enhanced flavours to make them moreish and craveable.

How long have they been around?

UPFs are largely a modern phenomenon, but forms of food processing have been around for centuries. Fermenting, mincing, curing, salting and smoking were a thing before most of us were born. We might think that canned foods originated during the first and second world wars, but canned food with preservatives was being produced decades before then. This illustration of a tin of corned beef is from 1898.

While food processing has been around for centuries, ultra-processing is a 20th-century invention, closely tied to industrialization and mass food production. The explosion of UPFs skyrocketed from the 1980s onwards with the rise of microwave ready meals, and convenience culture.

Health risks

Regular consumption of UPFs has been linked to the following health conditions:

• Obesity

• Type 2 diabetes

• Heart disease

• Cancer (especially colorectal)

• Anxiety and depression

• Higher all-cause mortality

The World Health Organisation classifies processed meats as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning there’s strong evidence linking regular consumption to cancer.

The British Medical Journal points to convincing evidence of an increased risk of type two diabetes associated with higher dietary exposure to ultra-processed foods.

It seems that the convenience of a long shelf-life and strong flavours comes at a cost. If you want to minimise the chances of developing a host of medical conditions, try and go easy on processed foods.

How to Identify an Ultra-Processed Food

There are a few telltale signs that can identify a food as ultra-processed.

A surefire clue is in the list of ingredients. Think of the basic ingredients when you bake a cake. Flour, sugar, butter, eggs and possibly cocoa. Now look at the label on that grab-and-go cake bar and see what is listed.

UPFs almost always contain multiple ingredients that are hard to pronounce or are otherwise unfamiliar. These tend to be synthetic and based on chemicals.

Additives that have no culinary purpose such as stabilisers and emulsifiers are there to reinforce the inferior ingredients and make the product behave more like it would if it were natural. Even the basic ingredients such as milk and eggs are often in a different form. Instead of actual milk, you might find whey powder or dried milk.

Ironically, these additives are often the result of engineering the product to be lower in fat or sugar. Low-fat mayonnaise, for example, is achieved by using egg whites instead of whole eggs, and thickening agents instead of oil. Yes, it might be lower in fat, but the alternative product contains ingredients that are ‘pretending’ to be food.

Does the item cost a fraction of what you might expect? Does it cost the same for a multipack as it would for a branded version? If you’re buying a whole cake for £1.50, there’s a good chance it contains a lot more than eggs, flour, sugar and cocoa.

The branding and packaging design can also be a sign that a food product is an unhealthy substitute. If the packaging shouts at you, it’s because it has to. An emphasis on speed, fun or convenience should be a red flag, along with bright colours and big graphics. Healthy food speaks for itself.

Also, is what you’re buying actually what it purports to be? If you’re buying cheese, does it actually call itself ‘cheese’? Or is the product described as ‘sandwich singles’ or ‘cheesy slices’? Does your ice cream call itself a ‘dessert cone’? This is because it’s so modified and synthetic, it cannot legally call itself what it pretends to be.

Conclusion

Ultra-processed foods are a modern, industrial response to convenience and value, but they come with serious health concerns. We always advise moderation on the British Health channel, and this goes for UPFs. Have a sausage sandwich or a chicken nugget meal as an occasional treat, but be aware of what you’re eating. It’s a shame that fast food meal doesn’t have the ingredients listed on the packaging. Perhaps they don’t have room for it all.