What is ultra-processed food? - The Food Chain podcast, BBC World Service

What is ultra-processed food, and how can you spot it?

In 2010, a group of Brazilian scientists said we should be focusing less on the nutritional content of food, and more on the form of processing it undergoes. They created the Nova system, a way of categorising foods based on how processed they are. It identifies ultra-processed foods as generally industrially manufactured, containing ingredients such as emulsifiers, stabilisers and other additives that would not be found in an average home kitchen.

A growing body of scientific research suggests a link between this category of ultra-processed foods and ill health, although there’s still some uncertainty around why this could be.

In this programme, we look at what ultra-processed food is, how you spot it, and how practical it is to avoid it, should you wish to.

Ruth Alexander speaks to listener Jen Sherman in California who is trying to reduce the amount of ultra-processed food her family eats. Ruth also hears from one of the public health scientists behind the Nova classification, Jean-Claude Moubarac at the University of Montreal in Canada, and from Pierre Slamich, co-founder of the Open Food Facts app and website, a database of foods that can help you identify products that are ultra processed. Kate Halliwell, Chief Scientific Officer at the Food and Drink Federation in the UK, which represents manufacturers, says evidence of harm from ultra-processed foods is not yet strong enough.

0:00 What exactly is ultra-processed food?
05:41 Is there a risk to our health?
06:30 How listener Jen feeds her family
09:38 Trying to avoid ultra-processed foods
11:54 What some countries are doing
14:11 Chile's food labelling scheme
18:17 Is food labelling the answer?
21:03 Is the food in my fridge ultra-processed?
25:12 The view from food manufacturers
29:16 Could buyers' habits bring about change?

Presented by Ruth Alexander.
Produced by Beatrice Pickup.
Additional reporting by Jane Chambers in Chile.

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[jaynecutrone]

I was someone who ate ultra processed food every single day. Last September I watched a few food documentaries and I was done. I’ve been cooking 90% of my meals since then. The other 10% is only ordering from local owned businesses. So far I lost 40 pounds. And it’s not a diet. It’s just cooking.

[msbluejay]

I had stage 4 breast cancer in 2000. Since then, I haven’t eaten processed food or sugar…for the most part. I eat oatmeal, berries, with hemp (for protein), walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, flax, sunflower seeds, pecans and pumpkin seeds on top. For my late lunch, I eat a protein, ( fish, eggs, quinoa, lentils) with kale or spinach, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower etc. I add olive oil and turmeric on top. I usually don’t eat any dinner because I’m so full from lunch. I’ve read that cancer loves sugar, so I try to stay away from processed and sugary foods. The non sugar yogurt is 3 times as expensive, but I buy it because it doesn’t have sugar. So far this diet has worked for me.

[Nicole-ljiz]

I think the secondary issue here too is that people don’t cook their meals.

[BrendonBoshell]

The major problem is the supermarket. It's 80% UPF. Shop in the fruit and veg aisle, 1 fresh aisle (meat +milk) and 1 frozen (whole frozen veg only). Outside of those 3 aisles, almost everything is UPF.

[TessaAvonlea]

Ultra processed food is the result of a culutre and lifestyle where 2 full time working adults in a family is an expected standard. When women didn't work, they would stay at home and have the time to make food by scratch. Someone juggling work, childcare and the rest does not have the capacity to cook a healthy meal and then also make their own mayonnaise from scratch.

[smartguy]

I used to eat lots of this ultra processed food up to 4 years ago, I was over weight, depressed, stressed, had low self esteem, eczema and the food was easy assessable relatively cheap and gave me a temporary high. Then 1 day I said enough was enough and went total cold turkey and changed my diet completely, 1st 3 weeks were awful with sugar and fat cravings so I started to go running. I now don't eat any ultra processed food and my life is 1000 times better, complete transformation. Just remember that UPF is made for profit and not for your benefit.

[clover]

I really liked the speakers takes on how to live with ultra processed food. It was realistic, in that they do their best to eat non-highly processed food but accept it is going to happen in special occasions because it’s a huge part of our society. I think this is the balanced sane way to be.

[embracinglifeinthecountryside]

We try to make everything from scratch if possible. Cakes, bread, sauces, cookies, crackers, meals, stock/broth/soup and even body moisturiser. Our vegetables are grown in the garden, so we cut buying from the supermarket to a minimal. That being said, it is only for families with time as it requires a lot of work.

The husband is the sole breadwinner of the family. I contribute this way to cut expenses.

It is beneficial for us to avoid UPF as much as possible. For the sake of our health. Also because I don't believe the food corporations need to be any more richer.

[edl]

It literally takes me 10 minutes to make butter. It takes the same to make mayonnaise. I think we are programmed to believe so much of these things are convenient when in reality, they are really fast and cheap to make.

[ebnsfkd]

Removing UPF food from your every day diet is a chore. I downloaded the Open Foods app and found it really informative. My dark chocolate was UPF so I will look for an alternative. Tested 2 brands of peanut butter, one of them was UPF the other not, 3 brands of gluten free pasta, one was UPF, 3 brands of stock, one was not. I think it is worthwhile testing a few common everyday foods that you use, perhaps one or 2 categories each time you shop to see if you can make a better choice. The app will tell you what is the UPF component so over time you will recognise what is UPF and avoid it, it is a great educational tool. Thanks so much for this content, it will improve my health with not too much effort. ❤

[sv]

When I taught in Germany, I could immediately tell which students grew up in the former DDR. The were always 20 lbs slimmer than the ones that grew up in West Germany. The snacks that they were exposed to were not as processed and not as plentiful. They were also not interested in dieting unless it was part of their occupation- ballet dancer or athlete for example.

[PaulShantanu]

This is such a rich country problem. I was introduced to this plethora of packaged ready to eat or just assemble and eat food after moving to Germany from India. In most of India (apart from some big cities), you can only find whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruits, the only products that are packaged is sugar, salt and spices.

[russbuttypennyblackblade]

Around 12%, or one in eight, US adults have now tried a weight-loss drug like Wegovy / Ozempic, Zepbound or Mounjaro, according to a new poll, and about 6% are currently taking one. Over 40% of adults in the US are now obese.

The majority of those using the drugs (61%) are using them to treat a chronic condition like diabetes or heart disease. Just over 40% are diabetics.

[ditsygirl]

I live in Singapore and I usually only take two meals a day. I keep it simple by having rice, a meat and a vegetable dish for lunch which usually cost around $5.50-6 Singapore dollars at the nearby coffee shop and then for dinner, it’s a hot meal of rice or noodles with meat and vegetables again with around the price of $6. I wouldn’t say I stay clear of processed food, but I try my best to eat my meals as cleanly as possible even when I know somethings processed food are hard to avoid. I occasionally indulge in ice creams, chocolates, potato chips and bubble tea once or twice a fortnight.

[Agra]

I'm glad to hear a legitimate source include bread in ultra-proccessed food! Whole wheat germs vs sourdough you made at home vs any 'bread' you buy at the grocery store are not the same. Perfect depiction of whole, processed and ultra-proccessed. 👍

[aiswaryav]

In India and other asian countries the ultra processed foods are way to expensive to be eaten frequently. We cook food three times a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner and a tea time snack sometimes. The raw grains, vegetables, fish, eggs and meat are cheaper. Fruits are expensive but local and seasonal ones are budget friendly. I hope it stays that way.

[jacksonj]

Big Food (Heinz, Nestle, Pillsbury, PepsiCo, Coca Cola, Mars), Big Supermarkets (Krogers, Albertsons, Walmart) owe huge thanks to the US FDA for its approval guidelines and ridiculous nutritional labeling and RDA & average serving size. Medical & health insurance industry is grateful for the high obesity rates and resulting medical conditions due to UPF. I blend as much as possible - veg fruit smoothies, soups for meals - impossible to completely avoid UPF, but blending helps to cut down the volume of UPF. Looking at other consumers in the supermarket, they have nothing but UPF in their shopping cart.

[pieinsky]

A more helpful label would be one that certifies "no ultra processed foods", like we have for organic foods.

[DutchinBrazil]

Keep it simple, so many high quality videos on youtube and TikTok from legit Chefs

[KS-vjte]

Anything made from scratch without processed ingredients would not have UPF. Example growing up that’s how Indian food is made at home. I have achieved this now but it needs lot of pre-prepping of ingredients to save time