On May 10, 2024, the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) published information on "ultra-processed foods", including definition, the role of processing in food, advice for consumers.

What is an ultra-processed food?

There is no single, universally agreed definition for ultra-processed foods. The NOVA classification (which is the most commonly used) talks about food which contains “formulations of ingredients, mostly of exclusive industrial use, typically created by a series of industrial techniques and processes.”

Some people have also defined ultra-processed foods as foods which contain ingredients that you might not find in your kitchen cupboard (for example, types of additives or emulsifiers or stabilisers).

Examples of ultra-processed foods might include sweetened breakfast cereals, carbonated soft drinks or confectionery. They might also include low fat spreads or some flavoured yogurts.

The role of processing in food

Some processing – including some processing used in ultra-processed foods – can play an important role in food safety or nutrition, or in making food cheaper. For example:

• pasteurisation, which kills harmful bacteria

• cooking, which is used to ensure food is edible and safe to consume

• adding vitamins and minerals (for example, adding iron and Vitamin B1 to flour, or calcium to plant-based milks)

• improving the nutritional content of food (reducing saturated fat or sugar or salt content, for example)

Processing can improve the taste or texture of food or increase shelf-life. This can make food more accessible or affordable or help reduce food waste.

Advice for consumers

While there is a correlation between poorer health outcomes and diets that are high in ultra-processed food, we still don’t know whether it is because these foods are unhealthy because of how they are made, or if it’s because a large majority of processed foods are high in calories, saturated fat, salt and sugar.

However you define ultra-processed foods, the term covers a huge variety of foods, some of which are unhealthy, and some of which may have a lot of nutritional value. For instance, a chocolate bar, or a ready meal that is very high in fat, salt or sugar  might be classed as ultra-processed foods, but so would a loaf of shop-bought, wholegrain bread, or a low-fat yogurt.

We do have strong evidence that diets high in calories, saturated fat, salt and sugar are associated with an increased risk of obesity, and chronic diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, as well as certain types of cancers.

The government’s advice is for consumers to try to follow a healthy diet, which for most people means cutting down on how much saturated fat, sugar and salt you eat and eating more vegetables and fibre. The Eatwell Guide sets out what a healthy, balanced diet looks like – one that limits saturated fat, salt and sugar, and includes plenty of fruit and vegetables, fibre and protein (including oily fish and pulses). It also shows how much of what we eat overall should come from each food group.

Learn more: https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/ultra-processed-foods