Feature: Understanding Ultra-processed Foods

On a sliding scale between whole and ultra-processed foods, do UPFs have any place in the natural products market? With UK consumption of UPFs among the highest in Europe, Rosie Greenaway seeks to understand more about this food phenomenon.

Hot dogs. Doughnuts. Pizza. Soft drinks. Ready meals. Most of us operating in the natural products space would agree that ultra-processed foods (UPFs), when consumed in excess, have detrimental long-term health impacts. But what about small amounts, consumed infrequently, in balance with a wholefood diet? Or foods which are considered minimally processed? Can a sweet spot exist between health, convenience and cravings? And what constitutes a UPF in the first place? 

For retailers, establishing a position on this hot topic means first understanding it. Here to offer his own definitions is Rob Hobson, nutritionist and author of Unprocess Your Life – a book aimed at helping people ‘break free from ultra-processed foods for good’. 

Defining UPFs

Hobson begins by making the distinction between minimally-processed (something as simple as turning flour into pasta) and processed (which includes canning and freezing). Beyond that, additional procedures creep in with engineered ingredients ‘you won’t recognize’, resulting in UPFs. Typically ready-to-eat or quick to prepare, UPFs raise red flags for fat, salt and sugar, and are usually low in fibre and nutrients. They often have a soft mouthfeel, are famously moreish and fire up the brain’s receptors, flooding our systems with dopamine, which can quickly lead to addiction.

A grey area? 

Getting sucked into the world of UPFs is easily done, despite best intentions; UPF packaging often bears health claims – even natural and organic, warns Hobson – resulting in understandable consumer confusion. This is where the grey area begins for health food retailers too, and where opinions divide, with some stores taking a zero-UPF stance and others making room for some ‘healthier UPFs’ – wholegrain cereals and popular plant-based alternatives may qualify, scoring points on nutrition but containing preservatives or having undergone several processes. 

For Steve Dagnell, CEO of Baldwin’s in London, stocking UPFs is a hard no. “Somebody has got to be the arbitrator of what’s in and what’s out in the health food industry, and I’m afraid that I find this a very black and white area. [We have] principles that we’re unwavering on. There’s always a movement in the health food industry, often by people who just see it as a business … to push the boundaries of what is acceptable and unacceptable. And I’m sorry, I’ve got very stark views about ultra-processed food; I just don’t think there should be any compromise.”

No judgement

With 3.1 million emergency food parcels distributed by food banks in the Trussell Trust network [April 2023–March 2024], food insecurity must be considered the role of UPFs; with suffocating financial constraints, and without the luxury of time, large swathes of the population are unable to go cold turkey on UPFs. “What happens if you get food from the food bank and the only thing you can get is white bread and processed food?” asks Hobson. “You don’t want these people to feel even worse; there need to be ways around so you can help them to eat well.”

While a long-term high-UPF diet is thought to raise a person’s risk of chronic illness, bombarding the public with negative messaging and demonizing their dietary choices may be counterproductive. Rather than chastising people, expecting scare tactics to cause an overnight revolution, Hobson advocates spreading accurate information on budget-friendly swaps (such as lentils) to plug the nutrient gap created by UPFs. By allowing shoppers to discover the alternatives available to them at their own pace and adopt changes gradually, there’s a better chance of healthy habits being sustained. 

Spend it on veg

There’s also a place here for balance and common sense: “If you don’t have a massive food budget and sourdough’s £3.50, buy the white sliced loaf and with money you save, spend it on vegetables.” With the cost of living crisis raging on, Hobson argues that frozen veg – already established as processed, technically – can be a gamechanger. “In certain dishes, like stews, just use frozen vegetables. There’s no food waste, you won’t notice the difference and you get the nutrition.” 

Although vegan bacon and meat-free patties don’t appeal to him personally, he accepts this type of innovation has value in helping those who want to dip their toes into plant-based but aren’t sure where to start. “We shouldn’t be demonizing people just because they had a meat-free burger. There are worse things you could include in your diet [but] you wouldn’t want to eat them all the time.” 

Escaping food swamps

For now at least, UPFs are cemented in UK diets; a survey by Viridian Nutrition found that eight in ten diets are predominantly UPFs. So is there any way back for our addicted nation? Hobson hasn’t lost hope, but he emphasizes the enormity of the task ahead – and not just for the food industry. 

Education in schools and workplaces, a widespread public health campaign, product reformulation, free downloadable resources and clearer food labelling could all help, alongside careful urban planning to prevent fast food shops from opening adjacent to schools, creating pocket money traps and ‘food swamps’ which block access to healthy options. “It’s an obesogenic environment. It’s hard to make healthy choices when everything around you is unhealthy.”

By Rosie Greenaway, editor