If you happen to haven’t heard of ultra-processed meals, you’re seemingly within the minority. UPF has made a splash within the media of late, with researchers linking the classification of packaged meals merchandise to poor well being outcomes.
However the extra we delve into the ultra-processed matter, the extra advanced it turns into. Proponents of meals processing argue it’s not so simple as splitting complete meals into the ‘good’ class, and ultra-processed meals into the ‘unhealthy’. Critics, however, say that ultra-processing straight feeds into Massive Meals’s technique of how greatest to show a revenue.
If that sounds sophisticated, you’re not alone. Amongst shoppers, confusion round UPF is at an all-time excessive, which means that even when they need to keep away from ultra-processed meals altogether, they could not know the way. Absolutely baked beans aren’t UPF? Oh sure, they’re.
To assist unpack the intricacies of the UPF debate, we’re bringing you rolling protection: unpicking the nice, the unhealthy, and the confusion round this classification of merchandise. Right here’s the newest…
5 Mar 2024: Extremely-processed meals linked to 32 poor well being outcomes in largest research up to now
We ask lead creator Melissa M Lane the place she stands on the ultra-processed meals debate.
19 Feb 2024: Can hyperlinks be drawn between Nutri-Rating and ultra-processed meals?
Are ultra-processed meals extra more likely to have low Nutri-Rating scores? And will the Nova classification system be integrated into the Nutri-Rating algorithm?
14 Feb 2024: Are we misusing the time period ‘ultra-processed’? Uncoupling UPF from vitamin
The time period ‘ultra-processed’ is more and more used to explain the ‘unhealthiness’ of a product, notably within the context of plant-based meat. However how processed a meals is reveals nothing about its dietary affect, contends new analysis.
16 Nov 2023: Extremely-processed meals, however not bread or breakfast cereals, linked to multimorbidity: The Lancet
The research discovered that UPF is usually linked to multimorbidity. However no hyperlink was discovered between multimorbidity and consumption of UPFs together with breakfast cereals, packaged bread, and plant-based alternate options.
28 Jul 2023: Nova classification matches shopper instincts
The Nova classification system is used to determine whether or not meals are minimally processed, processed, or ultra-processed. A brand new research finds that individuals’s perceptions of meals and their processing ranges normally align with the Nova classification.
12 Jul 2023: Scientists stress ‘uncertainties’ in hyperlinks between ultra-processed meals and well being issues
Within the UK, authorities scientists have pointed to ‘uncertainties’ surrounding the standard of proof linking consumption of ultra-processed meals with hostile well being outcomes.
2 Might 2023: Predicting ultra-processing in meals with machine studying algorithm
Acknowledging the ache factors of the Nova classification system, researchers have developed a machine studying algorithm to precisely predict the diploma of processing for any meals.
Elevated consumption of ultra-processed meals has been linked to increased greenhouse fuel emissions by a brand new research charting 30 years of dietary change.
