How can I recognise ultra-processed foods?

SPEAKER_1 (0:04)

How can I recognize ultra-processed foods?

Thanks for asking.

What do chicken nuggets, margarine and instant noodles all have in common? Well, they may look tasty, but they're loaded with sugar, salt, fat and chemicals that strip away their nutritional value. That's due to the heavy processing that goes into making them, which sees them completely transformed from the original raw ingredients. And they're increasingly ever present on our shelves and in our stomachs. In 2022, the National Institute for Health and Care Research found that ultra-processed foods made up almost two-thirds of Britain's school meals. Furthermore, the British Medical Journal has reported that ultra-processed foods account for 56.8% of total energy intake in the UK diet. Can you identify them by looking at the ingredient lists on product packaging? Indeed, that's the best starting point, really. Ultra-processed foods are very different to the raw materials they started out as. They undergo physical or chemical transformations, which break them down into multiple components. You'll also see additives on ingredient lists that you'd never use when cooking something yourself at home, like mortodextrin, glutamate, xanthan gum or e-number additives. These are used to preserve a food's flavor or enhance its taste. They may even change its appearance to make it look more attractive. What's the difference between processed foods and ultra-processed foods? The term ultra-processed foods actually originates from the NOVA food classification system, which was first proposed by researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil in 2009 It places food items into four categories, according to how much processing they've undergone during production. First of all, you've got fresh and raw products, such as fruit and veg, pulses, nuts, seeds or fish for example. These have no added ingredients and haven't really been altered from their natural state. Then there are processed ingredients like salt, pepper, spices and oils that we add to other foods, but don't eat on their own. Next come processed foods, which are made using a combination of foods from the first two groups. They could have undergone transformation through smoking in the case of smoked salmon for example, or canning like canned vegetables or sardines. Finally come ultra processed foods, which are different from processed foods due to the many different ingredients they contain. According to the British Heart Foundation, there are typically at least five, including the additives we talked about earlier. There are pros and cons to the NOVA system, as it does lump together a lot of food types under the ultra processed label, even when some are more nutritious than others. But despite its drawbacks, the system is still widely used by scientific researchers.

Why should we limit our consumption of ultra processed products? They can potentially have very harmful consequences on our health. According to a study published in The Lancet in January 2023, high consumption of ultra processed foods is associated with a higher risk of developing cancer in general, and more specifically ovarian and brain cancer. The results established that for every 10% increase in ultra processed foods in a person's diet, there was a corresponding 2% increase in the risk of developing cancer.

There you have it.

Now you know how to recognize ultra processed foods. In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions and help you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines. Listen along and you will really know it for sure.