The rise of ultra-processed foods

Ultra-processed foods have been a hot topic over the last few weeks after Panorama shed a scary light on the industry. It was reported that they make up 50% of the energy intake for adults and a staggering 65% for children. The industry has gathered in speed due to products generally being cheaper, having a longer shelf life and being more convenient. However, the process of producing them, namely the addition of chemical additives, breaks down the structure of food, leaving it far lower in nutritional value. In addition, there have not been enough official trials on these chemicals, so how they interact with the body is not fully understood. People risk being sucked into the ‘health halo’ whereby the ‘low and no’ magic words are used to advertise products as healthier. In reality, they tend to be packed with artificial ingredients to reduce the calorie, sugar or fat content.

With so many children affected and an increasing amount of young adults being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, why is not more being done to reduce the power of this industry? You don’t have to look far to see advertising on convenient packaged foods to fit in with busy lifestyles, but you do not often see the actual benefits of fresh seasonal produce. We think it is time to make fruit and vegetables a priority again to improve the nation's health. The focus should be on investing in nutritional education to demonstrate that eating fresh produce and cooking from scratch doesn’t need to cost a fortune or take up all your time. Additionally, reducing the screen time used promoting ultra-processed foods may further help to rebalance diets.