Issue #2 - How Could the Ultra-Processed Food Debate Influence Food Manufacturing?

Since the release of Chris van Tulleken’s book Ultra Processed People earlier this year, a debate on ‘ultra-processed’ foods has emerged in the mainstream media.

So, what are the potential implications on the food industry?

What is an ultra-processed food (UPF)?

Ultra processing relates to both the recipe formulation and the industrial processing methods of food products.

There is no universally accepted definition of UPF, and indeed this is one of the biggest criticisms of the discourse around this subject. Although, the most well-known cited definition is the NOVA classification.

How useful is ultra-processed food as a term?

In the UK, UPFs account for 57% of calories consumed.

Even the most fervent proponents of UPF science concede that processing nearly all foodstuffs is both a necessity and has been a practice for humans for millennia.

The NOVA classification is unique in that it places exclusive emphasis on its classification based on the degree of processing, and not nutritional quality - a fundamental shift in how many nutritionists and consumers classify foodstuffs.

Indeed, two thirds of US consumers say they are willing to consume more UPF as a convenient and available form of nutrition, if the nutritional profiles and health benefits are transparent.

Therefore, ‘Ultra processing’ as a definition is blurry in practice. It covers an incredibly broad range of foodstuffs, grouping a whole range of food & beverage products in one homogenous category. This differs from other, more black-or-white classification systems such as the Nutrient Profiling Model which forms the framework for the restrictions of High Fat, sat & sugar foods (HFSS) in the UK is based upon.

So, what use is this definition to consumers?

Like most things, there is no black and white whereby ultra-processed = Bad, and unprocessed = Good. The reality is much more nuanced. There is a sliding scale depending on a whole host of factors, including ingredient quality and transparency.

Do we need ultra-processed foods?

Ultra-processed foods are an inherent part of the global food system and provide consumers with affordable and readily available nutrition in a range of settings - necessary for the lifestyles of society in 2023.

Critics of UPF say that there is a strong correlation between UPF consumption obesity & obesity-related illnesses, although it is certainly inconclusive as to whether this is because of the processing of the foods themselves, or UPF appeals to individuals with dietary patterns that have a propensity to HFSS foods.

Indeed, for most economically active people, it is not practical to think that home cooking for all occasions is appropriate or possible, either through lack of time, knowledge, or money.  

In order to provide good quality and safe products to consumers, processing and ingredient technologies that are not available to the home cook are required - home recipes will typically not stand up to the processing methodologies that large-scale food production requires.

This is true for anything from cooking, cooling, transportation and handling methods, or non-store cupboard functional ingredients.

Additives vs Ingredients?

While the definition of UPF is broad, a key marker of UPF is a poor ingredient declaration. Therefore, a practical measure for manufacturers could be to reformulate to remove chemically modified and non-store cupboard additives from recipe formulations.

It’s possible to replace these with cleaner ingredients that provide the same or similar functionalities, improving the transparency, and therefore confidence, with their consumers.

As for if this would change the classification from Ultra Processed, would depend on the specific process or recipe.

Summary:

The UPF debate will continue for the foreseeable future - and consumer awareness has already heightened as a result. Manufacturers may be required to be more conscious than ever in areas around consumer transparency and ingredient declarations.

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/aug/27/ultra-processed-foods-what-are-they-risks-to-health